FROM   THE   LIBRARY  OF 


REV.    LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON,   D.  D. 


BEQUEATHED    BY    HIM   TO 


THE    LIBRARY   OF 


PRINCETON   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 


Section         V57&? 


, 


«      ■•  •     ■• 


,;..'.'•    * 


rv 


V: 


% 


specimens^  SEP  19 1936 


OF  AN 

IMPROVED  METRICAL  TRANSLATION 

OF  THE 

PSALMS  OF  DAVID, 

INTENDED    FOR    THE    USE    OF    THE     PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH  IN  AUSTRALIA  AND  NEW  ZEALAND. 


PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION, 

AND 

NOTES,  CRITICAL  AND  EXPLANATORY. 

BY  JOHN  DUNMORE  LANG,  D.D. 

Senior  Minister   of  the   Presbyterian  Church,  in  communion 
with  the  Church  of  Scotland,  in  New  South  Wales. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED  BY  ADAM  WALDIE. 
1840. 


PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

Psalmody,  or  the  singing  of"  Psalms  and  Hymns  and 
Spiritual  songs"  to  the  praise  of  God,  has  doubtless  form- 
ed a  part  of  the  public  worship  of  God  in  all  ages.  In 
Genesis  iv.  26,  we  read,  that  in  the  days  of  Enos,  the 
grandson  of  Adam  in  the  line  of  Seth,  u  men  began  to 
call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  i.  e.  to  assemble  regu- 
larly for  the  public  worship  of  God  every  Sabbath,  to  pre- 
fer their  united  supplications  to  that  throne  of  grace 
which  was  even  then  visible  to  the  eye  of  faith,  and  to 
sing  the  praises  of  the  Most  High  Gcd,  perhaps  in  some 
of  those  songs  of  Paradise  which  the  aged  parents  of 
mankind  had  been  accustomed  to  sing  in  the  days  of 
their  innocence,  and  which  had  probably  survived  the 
loss  of  Eden,  and  the  misery  and  degradation  of  the  fall. 
We  have  reason  to  believe  also  that  this  earliest  psal- 
mody of  the  antediluvian  church  was  entirely  vocal,  or, 
in  other  words,  unaccompanied  with  instrumental  music 
of  any  kind.  For  it  was  not  till  the  era  cf  Jubal,  the 
seventh  from  Adam,  in  the  family  of  Cain,  'Genesis  iv. 
21.)  that  either  wind  or  stringed  instruments  of  music 
were  invented.  "  The  sons  of  God" — for  such  was 
Adam  {Luke  iii.  38.)  and  all  those  of  his  fallen  posterity 
who  had  turned  with  him  to  the  strong  hold  as  prisoners 
of  hope — sung  the  high  praises  of  Jehovah  with  the 
understanding  and  with  the  spirit,  and  with  their  voices 
alone,  though  attuned,  doubtless,  to  the  melodies  of  Para- 
dise. "The  harp  and  the  organ"  were  ever  and  anon 
heard  in  the  tents  of  "  the  daughters  of  men."  We  know, 
indeed,  that  these  inventions  of  Jubal  were  at  one  time 
consecrated  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  and  were 
employed  by  divine  appointment  in  the  temple  service  on 
Mount  Zion.     But  we  know  also  that  the  outward  ser- 


4  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

vices  of  that  typical  mountain  have  long-  since  been  su- 
perseded by  the  same  divine  authority,  and  that  all 
mankind  are  now  commanded  "to  worship  the  Father/' 
as  he  was  doubtless  worshipped  by  •'  the  sons  of  God" 
in  the  antediluvian  church,  "  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

There  is  direct  evidence  of  the  continuance  of  psal- 
mody as  a  part  of  the  public  worship  of  God  in  the 
patriarchal  ages;  for  otherwise,  how  could  "  Moses  and 
the  children  of  Israel,"  before  the  delivery  of  the  law 
from  Mount  Sinai,  or  the  organization  of  the  Jewish 
church,  have  "  sung  this  song  unto  the  Lord,"  after  their 
deliverance  from  the  power  of  Pharaoh;  "I  will  sing 
unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed  gloriously :  the 
horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea,"  &c.  ? 
E.xod.  xv.  1. 

That  psalmody  also  continued  to  be  a  part  of  the  ta- 
bernacle service  in  the  wilderness,  and  of  the  public 
worship  of  the  lsraelitish  church  in  general  till  the 
reign  of  David,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt.  The  ascrip- 
tion of  the  ninetieth'psalm  to  Moses,  by  the  concurrent 
voice  of  antiquity,  is  a  proof  of  the  universal  belief  of 
the  fact  by  the  ancient  church. 

The  era  of  David,  however,  is  the  most  interesting  in 
the  history  of  psalmody.  That  sweet  singer  of  Israel 
not  only  composed  the  greater  number  of  the  psalms 
himself,  but  had  them  set  to  music  in  the  most  skilful 
manner,  and  made  effectual  provision  for  their  being 
regularly  sung  in  the  public  worship  of  God  in  succeed- 
ing ages.  For  of  the  sons  of  Korah,  whose  "  children 
died  not"  in  the  rebellion  of  their  father,  (Numb.  xxvi. 
11.)  "  David  and  Samuel  the  Seer  did  ordain"  singers, 
who,  in  after  ages,  "remaining  in  the  chambers"  of  the 
temple  of  Solomon,  "  were  Crce^  from  the  other  services 
of  the  Levites,  •*  for  they  were  employed  in  that  work 
day  and  night."  1  Chron.  ix.  22.  33.  Of  these  sons  of 
Korah,  the  only  family  that  survived  the  Babylonish 
captivity,  and  returned  with  Ezra,  the  scribe,  to  re- 
establish the  worship  of  the  Lord  God  of  Isra  '  on  the 


PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION.  5 

hill  ofZion,  was  that  of  Asaph,  an  illustrious  descendant 
of  Korah,  who  was  himself  not  only  the  chief  musician 
cf  his  day,  but  the  author  also  of  several  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  affecting-  of  the  psalms.  Of  the  sons  of  Asaph, 
there  returned  not  fewer  than  **  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight,"  who,  with  their  wives  and  children,  amounted  to 
"  two  hundred  singing  men  and  sinking  women."  Ezra 
ii.  41.  65. 

There  is  reason  to  believe,  moreover,  that,  after  the 
Babylonish  captivity,  the  Psalms  of  David  were  regu- 
larly sung,  not  only  in  the  temp'e-service,  but  also  in  all 
the  synagogues  throughout  the  land  every  Sabbath,  as 
well  as  by  all  the  devout  families  of  Judah  in  their  more 
private  devotions.  For  we  read  in  Matth.  xxvi.  30.  that 
our  blessed  Saviour  and  his  disciples,  immediately  after 
the  institution  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
"  sung  an  hymn" — probably  either  the  greater  or  lesser 
Kallel,  as  the  series  of  psalms  uniformly  sung  by  the 
Jews  at  the  celebration  of  the  passovcr  were  usually  de- 
nominated. 

Psalmody  constituted  a  part  of  the  divinely  appointed 
worship  of  God  in  the  primitive  Christian  church.  For 
the  Apostle  Paul  gives  the  following  apostolic  directions 
on  the  subject  to  the  church  of  Ephesos.  "  Be  filled 
with  the  Spirit;  speaking  to  yourselves  in  psalms  and 
hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  and  making  melody 
in  your  heart  to  the  Lord."  Eph.  v.  18.  19.  To  the 
Colossians  also  the  same  apostle  writes,  u  Let  the  word 
of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom,  teaching 
and  admonishing  one  another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and 
spiritual  songs,  singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to  the 
Lord."  Coloss.  iii.  1G.  And  the  Apostle  James  intimates 
in  his  general  epistle,  that  the  business  of  praising  God, 
in  such  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  is  not  to 
he  confined  to  the  church  only,  or  the  public  worship  of 
God,  but  ought  to  constitute  a  part  of  the  more  private 
devotions  of  every  Christian  man.  "  Is  any  merry," 
says  the  apostle,  u  let  him  einrr  psalms."  James  v.  13. 
a  2 


6  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

Nay,  an  ancient  heathen  historian,  (Suetonius,)  in  briefly 
describing  the  Christians  of  his  day,  who  were  then  a 
new  and  despised  sect,  characterises  them  as  persons 
who  met  together  at  certain  stated  times,  "Christum 
quasi  Deum  celebra ntes,"  to  sing  the  praises  of  one 
Christ,  whom  th»y  callid  God. 

Whether  the  apostolic  phrase,  "  psalms  and  hymns 
and  spiritual  songs,"  denotes  three  different  species  of 
composition,  and  whether  the  word  M  psalms"  refers  ex- 
clusively to  the  Psalms  of  David,  may  admit  of  doubt. 
That  the  Psalms  of  David  were  indiscriminately  called 
either  "  psalms  or  hymns"  by  the  Christian  Greeks,  is 
evident  from  the  passage  already  quoted,  (Matth.  xxvi. 
30.)  and  the  appellation  "  songs"  is  one  which  is  often 
given  them  by  the  psalmist  himself.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  following  passage,  in  which  the  word  occurs  in  the 
singular  number,  would  seem  to  indicate  a  composition 
of  which  the  person  who  proposed  to  sing  it  in  the 
church  was  himself  the  author.  "How  is  it  then, 
brethren?  When  ye  come  together,  everyone  of  you 
hath  a  psalm — hath  a  doctrine — hath  a  tongue — hath  a 
revelation — hath  an  interpretation.  Let  all  tilings  be 
done  unto  edifying."      1  Cor.  xiv.  26. 

It  is  undeniable,  however,  that  the  Psalms  of  David 
were  sung  in  the  public  worship  of  God  by  the  primi- 
tive  Christians;  but  it  is  equally  undeniable  that  hymns 
or  spiritual  songs,  of  merely  human  composition,  were 
also  used  in  the  public  Fcnrices  of  the  Christian  church 
from  the  apostolic  age.  For  the  earlier  ecclesiastical  his- 
torians inform  us,  that  several  of  the  Christian  fathers, 
among  whom  Nonnus  and  Gregory,  of  Nazianzum,  held 
a  distinguished  place,  obtained  considerable  celebrity 
among  their  cotemporaries.  from  the  composition  of  such 
hymns  and  spiritual  songs. 

It  is  allowed,  however,  on  all  hands,  that  the  psalmody 
of  the  primitive  church  was  exclusively  vocal.  No 
Christian  emperor  ever  obtained  the  surname  of  Organo- 
clastes,  or  Organ  breaker — as  one  of  them  obtained  that 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  < 

of  Iconoclastcs,  or  Image-breaker — just  because  there 
were  DO  organs  to  break.  Indeed,  instrumental  music 
vas  utterly  unknown  to  the  Christian  church,  until  ages 
alter  the  era  of  Conslanline ;  lender  whose  successors 
she  gradually  lost  the  native  energies  that  enabled  her  to 
stand  erect  under  the  tyranny  of  Nero  and  Diodes. n, 
and  became  more  and  more  enfeebled  by  leaning  on  the 
crutch  of  temporal  power.  Then  it  was,  when  the  glory 
of  her  youthful  beauty  had  departed,  and  the  voice  of 
her  sing'mg  men  and  her  singing  women  was  heard  no 
more — when  her  eyes  were  so  dim  that  she  could  no 
longer  behold  tiie  heavenly  Jerusalem,  or  see  u  the  land 
that  is  afar  ofT' — that  she  seems  to  have  groped  her  way 
back  to  the  earthly  Palestine,  in  the  train  of  tl  e  ignorant 
^ers,  and  stumbled  on  the  old  harps  and  timbrels 
and  organs  of  Solomon 

We  learn  from  ancient  ecclesiastical  history,  that 
the  celebrated  Ambrose,  of  Milan,  the  author  of  the  beau- 
tiful hymn  Te  Deum,  which  lias  been  so  grossly  prosti- 
tuted in  the  Romish  church,  introduced  the  practice  of 
alternate  or  responsive  singing  into  the  churches  of  Italy, 
from  whence  it  very  speedily  spread  over  the  western 
empire. 

At  the  glorious  era  of  the  Reformation,  when  Europe 
awoke  from  her  sleep  of  ages,  and  so  many  of  her  na- 
tions received  life  from  the  dead,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  the  Psalms  of  David  should  almost  every  where 
bate,  been  exclusively  received,  as  the  only  compositions 
that  were  worthy  to  be  used  by  the  church  of  God,  in 
singing  the  high  praises  of  Jehovah.  There  were  a  few 
olher  compositions  doubtless,  of  superior  merit,  in  the 
Latin  services  of  the  Romish  church  ;  but,  besides  their 
being  in  an  unknown  tongue,  they  ladled  the  image 
and  supersciiption  of  the  Spirit  of  God — they  had  been 
profaned,  like  the  brazen  serpent  of  Moses,  to  idolatrous 
purposes — and  they  were  therefore  left,  not  unworthi.y,  to 
share  the  common  lot  of  those  Babylonish  abominations 
which  the  reformation  swept  away.    Besides,  the  Psalms 


8  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

of  David  were  found  to  be  peculiarly  appropriate  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  Protestant  people,  in  those  troublous 
times  that  followed  the  second  rising  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  in  the  west.  Applicable  to  the  state,  and 
suited  to  the  wants  of  every  Christian  man,  they  were 
found  to  be  peculiarly  so  to  those  of  men  who  were  hunt- 
ed, like  the  Psalmist  David,  M  as  a  partridge  on  the 
mountains" — M  who  looked  on  their  right  hand,  but  there 
was  no  man  that  would  know  them — no  man  that  cared 
for  their  Boul."  For  whether,  in  the  ever-varying  scenes 
through  which  they  passed,  they  required  a  penitential 
psalm  or  a  song  of  triumph — whether  they  required  to 
recount  the  mercies  of  the  Lord,  or  u  to  speak  of  the 
might  of  his  terrible  acts" — whether  they  required  to 
bewail  the  desolations  of  the  church,  or  to  exult  in  the 
prospect  of  her  promised  glory;  they  were  always  sure 
to  find  some  one  of  these  ancient  melodies  suited  to  their 
state  and  ready  to  their  hand.  The  harp  of  the  son  of 
Jesse  had  been  found  effectual  of  old,  in  soothing  the 
dark  spirit  of  Saul  when  the  fit  of  madness  was  on  him  ; 
so  was  it  found  equally  effectual,  in  these  times  of  suffer- 
ing and  sorrow,  in  soothing  the  spirit  of  God's  people  in 
the  midst  of  their  afflictions,  and  in  speaking  peace  to 
their  troubled  souls. 

We  find,  accordingly,  that  metrical  versions  of  the 
Psalms  of  David  were  published  in  the  vernacular  lan- 
guages of  all  the  Protestant  countries  of  Europe,  imme- 
diately after  the  Reformation.  Clement  Marot,  a  French 
Protestant,  of  no  small  celebrity  in  Ins  day,  assisted  by 
the  celebrated  Theodore  Beza,  of  Geneva,  published  a 
metrical  version  of  the  Psalms  of  David  in  the  language 
of  his  country,  which  was  long  highly  acceptable  to  the 
Protestants  of  France.  In  the  German  language  a  simi- 
lar version  was  also  published  by  some  of  the  associates 
of  Luther,  to  which,  I  believe,  Luther  himself  contribu- 
ted. And  I  happen  to  possess  a  metrical  version  of 
about  fifty  of  the  psalms  in  the  Italian  language,  written 
shortly  after  the  Reformation  for  the  Protestants  of  Italy. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  9 

In  the  English  language,  the  version  of  Sternhold  and 
Hopkins,  which  was  written  towards  the  close  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  the  name  of  which  lias  long  been 
synonymous  with  barbarism  itself,  became  current  in 
Great  Britain  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and 
continued  in  general  use,  both  in  England  and  Scotland, 
till  it  was  superseded  by  a  mm  h  superior  version,  exe- 
cuted chiefly  by  an  English  Presbyterian  of  the  name  of 
Rous,  at  the  instance  of  the  Westminster  Assembly 
during  the  long  Parliament.  That  version  having  been 
adopted  at  the  time  by  the  church  of  Scotland,  has  ever 
since  been  in  general  use  among  the  Presbyterians  of 
that  country,  and  of  the  North  of  Ireland.  The  version 
generally  used  in  the  Church  of  England,  since  the  reign 
of  Queen  Anne,  is  that  of  Tate  and  Brady. 

As  the  European  dialects  became  gradually  more  and 
more  polished,  and  the  principles  of  poetical,  or  rather 
rhythmical  composition,  better  understood,  the  earlier 
metrical  versions  of  trie  psalms  were  generally  found,  as 
in  the  case  of  that  of  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  to  be  harsh 
and  barbarous  in  the  extreme.  In  the  earlier  part  of 
last  century,  Gellcrt,  a  German  professor  at  Leipsic,  la- 
ments, in  the  preface  to  a  small  collection  of  German 
hymns  which  he  wrote  and  published,  that  the  old  version 
of  the  psalms,  which  was  then  still  generally  used  by 
the  Protestants  of  Germany,  was  so  harsh  and  barbarous 
as  to  be  no  longer  fit  for  the  use  of  the  German  people. 
And  it  is  much  to  the  credit  of  the  puritans  of  New 
England,  that  so  early  as  the  year  1640,  before  either  of 
the  later  English  versions  was  published,  the  printing 
press  of  Harvard  College,  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts, 
should  have  issued,  as  one  of  its  earliest  publications,  u  A 
New  Version  of  David's  Psalms."  The  following  ac- 
count of  the  origin  and  character  of  that  version,  which 
I  extract  from  Neal's  History  of  New  England,  will 
doubtless  be  interesting  to  the  reader. 

44  The  ministers,  it  seems,  were  not  satisfied  with 
Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  not  so  much  on  the  account  of 


10  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

their  poetry,  as  because  they  had  perverted  the  text  in  a 
great  many  places;  they  resolved,  therefore,  on  a  new 
version,  and  committed  the  care  of  it  to  some  of  the 
chief  divines  in  the  country,  among-  whom  were  the 
Reverend  Mr.  Eliot,  of  Roxbury,  Mr.  Mather,  of  Dor- 
chester, and  Mr.  Welds ;  who,  having  compared  their 
several  performances  together,  printed  the  whole  at 
Cambridge  in  the  year  1640.  When  the  book  was  pub- 
lished it  did  not  satisfy  the  expectations  of  judicious 
men,  for,  being  composed  by  persons  of  a  different  genius 
and  capacity,  it  was  far  from  being  of  a  piece  ;  and  was 
thererore,  after  some  time,  committed  to  one  hand,  to  be 
corrected,  and  made  a  little  more  uniform;  ?»Ir.  Henry 
Dunstar,  president  of  the  college,  was  the  man  chosen 
to  this  worfc,  who,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Richard 
Lyon,  tutor  to  Sir  Henry  Mildmay's  son,  then  boarding 
in  his  house,  reduced  it  to  the  form  in  which  it  appears 
at  present;  but,  after  all,  if  we  compare  the  New  Eng- 
land version  of  the  psalms  with  those  that  have  since 
been  published  to  the  world,  it  must  be  acknowledged  to 
be  but  a  mean  performance;  it  keeps  pretty  close  indeed 
to  the  English  prose,  but  has  very  little  beauty  or  ele- 
gance in  it,  the  lines  being  frequently  eked  out,  with  a 
great  many  insignificant  particles  for  the  sake  of  the 
rhyme;  and  'tis  but  a  weak- apology  that  the  translators 
offer  for  themselves,  w'jen  they  say,  that  ice  must  con- 
sider thai  God's  altar  needs  not  uur  polishing*  :  as  if  it 
were  more  eligible  to  sing  the  praises  of  God  in  barba- 
rous verse,  than  in  more  exact  and  elegant  composures; 
so  that,  how  commendable  soever  this  performance 
might  be,  in  the  time  when  it  first  appeared,  I  think, 
with  the  leave  of  the  learned  men  of  that  country,  it 
wants  now  to  be  revised  and  corrected  by  the  more 
beautiful  versions  of  Dr.  Patrick,  Tate  and  Brady. 
And  I  heartily  wish  that  some  judicious  person  among 
them  would  attempt  it." — JSeaVs  Hist,  of  New  England, 
vol.  i.  pp.  183,  189. 

The  Version  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  by  the  celebrated 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  11 

Dr.  Watt*,  was  not  published  at  the  time  Ncnl  wrote  his 
history,  (1719,)  otherwise,  he  would  neither  have  for- 
gotten  to  refer  his  readers  to  that  far  more  beautiful  ver- 
sion, nor  hire  wasted  so  much  praise  on  men  of  such 
inferior  name  as  those  he  has  specified.  The  new  ver- 
sion of  Tate  and  Brady  is  sufficiently  smooth  ;  but  it  is 
generally  exceedingly  tame,  and  it  by  no  means  adheres 
to  the  sense  nf  the  original  ;  lhe*scntimcnts  it  conveys 
being  often  directly  at  variance  with  those  inculcated  in 
the  word  of  God.  The  chief  fault  of  this  version,  however, 
— and  it  is  one  that  ought  neither  to  be  tolerated  nor  ex- 
cused in  the  Christian  church, — is,  that  it  bears  the  marks 
of  having  been  written  much  nearer  Mount  Parnassus  than 
Mount  Zion.  and  that  its  ornaments  are  borrowed  rather 
from  the  Pantheon  of  Athens,  than  from  the  sanctuary 
of  the  living  God.  For  so  cold  and  lifeless  is  its  theolo- 
gy, that  methioka  it  might  have  been  entitled  with  pro- 
prietv,  "  The  Psalms  of  David  frozen  into  English 
Rhyme." 

Of  the  version  of  Dr.  Watts,  the  taste  and  the  elegance 
of  which  are  equal  to  the  orthodoxy  of  its  sentiments 
and  the  warmth  of  its  devotion,  it  is  sufficient  to  inform 
the  Presbyterian  reader,  that  it  is  rather  a  paraphrase 
than  a  translation.  It  is  the  Psalms  of  David  accommo- 
dated (as  the  term  implies  they  require  to  bc^  to  the 
circumstances  of  a  Christian  congregation,  by  the  intro- 
duction of  language  which  they  do  not  contain,  and  of 
sentiments  which  they  rather  imply  than  express.  That 
there  is  anything  improper  in  this  method  of  giving  the 
Psalms  of  David  to  an  English  congregation,  I  should 
be  lo'.h  to  affirm.  If  the  primitive  Christians  were  allowed 
to  form  their  hymns  and  spiritual  songs  on  whatever  scrip- 
tural models  they  chose,  retaining  as  much  or  as  little  of 
the  language  of  scripture  as  they  pleased,  why  should  their 
successors,  the  Christians  of  the  present  day,  be  disallowed 
the  same  liberty  ?  This  is  not  one  of  the  matters  at  issue 
between  Presbyterians  and  other  denominations  of 
Christians.      But  it  is  a  point  fixed  and  settled  among 


12  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

Presbyterians  themselves — settled,  I  conceive,  wisely, 
and  approved  by  the  practice  of  three  centuries — that 
the  Psalms  of  David  shall  be  translated  and  not  para- 
phrased ;  that  they  shall  be  presented  to  the  Christian 
people,  unmixed  with  any  human  compositions,  whether 
in  the  way  of  addition  or  embellishment ;  and  that  no 
inferior  musician  shall  presume  to  play  a  second  harp, 
when  the  chief  of  the  inspired  musicians  of  Israel 
strikes  his  heavenly  strings. 

But,  surely,  in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
there  is  just  as  much  reason  for  the  Presbyterians  of 
Scotland  and  the  British  colonies  to  discontinue  to  sing 
the  Psalms  of  David  in  barbarous  verse,  as  there  was  for 
the  Puritans  of  New  England  to  discontinue  the  use  of 
the  old  version  of  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  in  the  year 
1610.  The  Scotish  version — the  one  authorized  by  the 
Westminster  Assembly — is,  of  all  the  versions  ot  the 
psalms  in  the  English  language,  the  truest  to  the  origi- 
nal ;  having  been  formed  directly  from  the  Hebrew, 
without  the  intervention  of  a  prose  translation.  It  is 
hallowed,  moreover,  in  the  estimation  of  the  Scotish 
people,  from  having  been  used  by  their  persecuted  fore- 
fathers in  the  days  of  the  Covenant,  and  from  having  often 
afforded  sweet  consolation  to  many  of  these  sons  and 
daughters  of  affliction  under  the  tyranny  of  the  Stuarts. 
And  it  doubtless  contains  many  passages,  the  beauty 
and  simplicity  of  which  would  be  but  ill  exchanged  for 
the  more  ambitious  ornaments  of  modern  rhyme.  Still, 
however,  as  a  whole,  it  is  confessedly  far  below  the 
intellect  of  the  present  age;  its  harshness  gives  positive 
offence  to  many,  and  acts  as  a  repellent  to  many  more  ; 
and,  constituted  as  we  are  intellectually,  it  is  quite  im- 
possible for  the  men  of  the  present  generation  uniformly 
to  associate  with  it  the  same  feelings  of  devotion  which 
it  doubtless  never  failed  to  excite  in  the  breasts  of  our 
forefathers. 

But  if  this  is  true  even  in  Scotland,  where  the  popu- 
larity of  the  present  version  depends  on  a  variety  of  ad- 


PKELIMINAHY    DIS0UTATIOH.  13 

vcntitious  circumstances  that  cannot  operate  elsewhere, 
how  much  more  so  must  it  not  be  in  the  British  colo- 
nies, where  Presbyterians  come  in  contact  with  Chris- 
tians of  other  denominations,  and  make  comparisons,  in 
the  matter  in  question,  that  are  not  unfrequently  to  their 
own  disadvantage  ? 

It  is  mere  sophistry  to  allege,  with  the  old  Puritans 
of  New  England,  that  God's  ultar  needs  not  our  polish- 
ings.  God's  altar  (I  mean  the  Psalms  of  David,  as  the 
phrase  is  intended  to  signify  in  such  a  connection)  was 
originally  a  highly  polished  altar — "  polished  after  the 
similitude  of  a  palace"  by  one  of  the  most  skilful  of  the 
workmen  of  Israel.  And  if  dust  has  gathered  over  it  in 
the  lapse  of  ages,  and  rust  tarnished  its  polishing,  it  can 
only  have  been  through  the  inattention  and  neglect  of 
those  who  stand  daily  in  the  courts  of  God's  house,  and 
whose  duty  it  is  to  clear  that  dust  and  that  rust  away, 
and  to  keep  it  brightly  burnished  and  beautiful  as  at 
first. 

Besides,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  very  fidelity  of 
the  Scotish  version  constitutes,  in  many  instances,  one 
of  its  greatest  blemishes.  For  it  is  so  slavish  a  transla- 
tion, word  for  word,  of  the  original  Hebrew,  that,  in 
consequence  of  the  totally  different  idiomatical  charac- 
ter of  the  two  languages,  and  the  extremely  delicate 
and  evanescent  nature  of  many  of  the  allusions,  especi- 
ally in  psalms  of  the  higher  order  of  poetical  composi- 
tion, it  is  often  scarcely  less  unintelligible  to  a  mere 
English  reader  than  the  Hebrew  original. 

Conceiving,  therefore,  that  a  reform  of  t'.ie  Scotish 
psalmody  ought, — especially  with  a  view  to  the  spiritual 
welfare  and  advancement  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
the  British  colonies, — to  be  effected  as  speedily  as  possi- 
ble, it  appeared  to  me  that  I  could  not  occupy  a  portion,  at 
least,of  the  leisure  of  the  long  voyages  I  have  unfortunately 
been  obliged  to  undertake  to  and  from  the  mother  country 
during  the  last  ten  years,  more  advantageously  than  in 
contributing  my  quota  towards  effecting  so  desirable  an 


14  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

object — hoping  and  trusting  that  my  labours  in  this 
way,  during  the  period  of  my  involuntary  absence  from 
an  affectionate  people,  might  eventually  prove  not  alto- 
gether unserviceable  to  the  colonial  church,  of  which 
Divine  Providence  had  made  me  the  humble  instru- 
ment of  laying  the  foundations  on  the  far  distant  shores 
of  the  Southern  Pacific.  With  this  view,  after  doubling 
the  north  east  cape  of  New  Zealand,  on  my  second  voy- 
age to  England  from  New  South  Wales,  in  the  year 
1830,  I  attempted  a  new  metrical  version  of  one  or  two 
of  the  psalms  by  way  of  experiment,  and  continuing  the 
work  thereafter  during  the  run  to  Cape  Horn,  and  down 
the  South  Atlantic,  I  had  completed  a  new  version  of 
fifty-one  psalms  altogether,  before  crossing  the  Southern 
Tropic.  The  psalms  I  refer  to  were  those  from  the  1st 
to  the  20th,  and  from  the  120th  to  the  150th  inclusive. 

Having  experienced  some  discouragement,  however, 
from  a  clerical  friend,  whom  I  consulted  on  the  subject 
on  my  arrival  in  Great  Britain,  I  did  not  resume  the  oc- 
cupation till  the  year  1834,  when  proceeding  to  New 
South  Wales  from  England  for  the  fourth  time.  In  the 
course  of  that  voyage  I  translated  the  psalms  from  the 
21st  to  the  50th  inclusive  ;  and  during  my  fifth  voyage 
to  the  colony  in  the  the  year  1837,  I  added  a  version  of 
the  following  sixteen.  The  67th  to  the  70th  inclusive 
were  written  in  crossing  the  North  Atlantic  from  Liver- 
pool to  New  York  a  few  weeks  ago.  Whether  I  shall 
ever  translate  the  remaining  psalms,  from  the  71st  to  the 
119th  inclusive,  will  depend,  under  the  blessing  of  God, 
on  the  judgment  that  may  be  passed,  by  my  clerical 
brethren  in  the  mother  country  and  in  America,  on  the 
translations  I  have  already  completed. 

The  incidents  of  a  sea  voyage,  especially  in  the  high 
stormy  latitudes  of  the  great  Southern  Ocean,  are  by  no 
means  favourable  to  literary  labour  of  any  kind.  It  is 
very  probable  that  the  reader  may  discover  many  eviden- 
ces of  bo  undesirable  a  situation,  in  the  manner  in  which 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  15 

some,  if  not  most,  of  the  following  translations  have  been 
brought  to  their  compl.tion. 

The  usual  appliances  of  a  well  furnished  library,  or  of 
a  comfortable  study  on  shore,  are  not  to  be  thought  of  in 
such  circumstances.  The  stock  of  books  on  board  ship, 
must  necessarily  be  very  limited.  The  writing  desk, 
moreover,  must  be  lashed  to  its  proper  fixture,  otherwise 
it  will,  ever  and  anon,  run  the  most  imminent  hazard  of 
being  thrown  down  and  broken  in  pieces.  And  the* 
writer's  foot  must  be  firmly  planted  against  some  trunk 
or  beam,  to  enable  him  to  maintain  something  like  a 
suitable  posture,  while  the  ship  rolls  and  pitches  violently 
and  incessantly.  In  such  circumstances,  it  is  not  to  be 
greatly  wondered  at  if  it  should  be  found  occasionally 
that  "  The  line  loo  labours,  and  the  words  move  slow.*' 

Of  the  very  few  works  of  any  kind  to  which  I  had 
access  in  translating  the  first  twenty,  and  the  last  thirty 
of  the  psalms,  the  one  to  which  I  was  chiefly  indebted 
was  the  German  version  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  by 
Martin  Luther;  of  which  I  happened  to  have  a  pocket 
edition  of  the  New  Testament,  on  board,  with  the  Psalter 
annexed.  Of  all  the  versions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  that 
have  ever  been  given  to  the  nations,  perhaps  the  English 
and  the  German  authorized  versions  are  the  very  best. 
If  there  is  any  difference  in  the  comparative  degrees  of 
excellence  of  these  two  versions  themselves,  I  would  say, 
that  while  the  English  translators  have,  in  general,  aimed 
too  exclusively  at  rendering  the  original,  word  for  word, 
without  sufficiently  considering  the  bearing  of  each  word 
on  the  whole  passage  in  which  it  occurs,  the  German 
translators  seem  to  have  generally  taken  a  more  extended 
view  of  the  whole  passage  they  were  about  to  translate, 
and  have  therefore  been  more  judicious  and  more  suc- 
cessful in  their  use  of  those  connecting  particles,  on 
which  the  sense  of  a  passage  often  materially  depends. 
This  is  especially  apparent  in  the  argumentative  parts  of 
the  epistles  of  Paul. 


16  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

There  are  comparatively  only  a  few  cases  in  the  book 
of  Psalms,  in  which  the  English  and  the  German  trans- 
lators have  differed  from  each  other  in  their  views  of  the 
original.  In  these  cases,  I  have  generally  adhered  to  the 
English  version,  unless  there  appeared  very  strong  rea- 
sons for  preferring  the  German.  But  in  every  instance 
in  which  J  have  felt  myself  constrained  to  adopt  Luther's 
version  in  preference  to  our  own,  I  have  stated  my  reasons 
for  doing  so  in  the  notes.  If  I  have  thus  been  enabled  to 
exhibit  to  the  English  reader  several  interesting  passages 
in  the  Psalms  of  David  in  a  still  more  interesting  light, 
and  to  elucidate  other  passages  really  dark  and  difficult, 
the  reader  will  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing,  that  the 
version  I  have  given,  in  all  such  cases,  does  not  rest  on 
my  individual  authority,  but  on  that  of  men  at  least 
equally  eminent  with  the  authors  of  the  English  au- 
thorized version  of  the  Holy  Scriptures — I  mean  Lu- 
ther and  the  other  fathers  of  the  Reformation  in  Ger- 
many. 

In  the  translations  extending  from  the  twenty-first  to 
the  fiftieth  inclusive,  I  had  access  to  various  critical 
works  of  superior  merit,  and  wherever  I  deemed  it  ad- 
visable, in  any  of  these  psalms,  to  adopt  a  different  ver- 
sion from  that  of  our  own  prose  translation,  I  have  in- 
dicated my  authority  at  the  bottom  of  the  page.  In  the 
remaining  translations  I  have  relied,  next  to  our  own 
version,  on  a  critical  work  of  superior  character,  entitled 
11  A  New  Translation  of  the  Book  of  Psalms,  from  the 
original  Hebrew,  with  Explanatory  Notes,  by  William 
French,  D.  D.,  and  George  Skinner,  M.  A.,"  both  of  the 
University  of  Cambridge.  I  have  also  carefully  com- 
pared the  whole  of  my  own  previous  translations  with 
this  version,  and  adopted  various  elucidations  which  it 
suggested  ;  and  in  those  passages  in  which  I  had  pre- 
viously deviated  from  the  common  version,  I  have  gene- 
rally found  these  deviations  warranted  by  additional 
authority. 

In  regard  to  the  style  in  which  an  improved  metrical 


PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION.  17 

version  of  the  Psalms  of  David  for  the  use  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  in  the  British  colonies  should  be  com- 
posed, and  the  general  pitch  of  its  language,  I  would 
observe,  that  as  a  great  proportion  of  that  part  of  the 
English  language  which  is  available  for  purposes  of 
literature,  is  of  foreign  manufacture,  i.  e.  of  Latin  and 
French  origin,  and  consequently  unintelligible,  in  a 
much  greater  degree  than  is  generally  supposed,  to  the 
great  bulk  of  the  nation  ;  it  is  a  matter  of  imperious  ne- 
cessity that,  in  any  English  composition,  which  is  de- 
signed to  serve  as  a  manual  of  devotion  to  the  unlearned, 
as  well  as  to  persons  of  liberal  education,  there  ought,  if 
possible,  to  be  a  rigid  exclusion  of  all  words  that  are  not 
universally  intelligible,  and  in  all  cases  of  synonymous 
words,  a  decided  preference  of  these  which  are  of  Saxon  or 
Teutonic  origin.  While,  for  instance,  we  have  such  unob- 
jectionable English  words  as  heivenly,  earthly,  endless, 
everlasting,  Sec,  why  should  such  interlopers  as  celestial, 
terrestrial,  interminable,  Sec,  which  are  ever  and  anon 
recurring  in  the  lyrical  effusions  of  modern  rhythmical 
devotion,  be  permitted  to  occupy  a  place  in  an  English 
psalm  or  hymn  ?  Something,  indeed,  in  the  way  of 
sound  may  often  be  gained  by  the  use  of  such  high- 
sounding  and  lengthy  words;  but  surely  every  thing  in 
the  way  of  sense  and  propriety  is  wantonly  sacrificed 
and  needlessly  lost.  The  knowledge  of  foreign  tongues 
will  never  surely  make  a  man  of  sense  unmindful  of  the 
proprieties  of  his  own.  Paul,  the  apostle,  speke  icith 
tongues  more  than  all  his  cotemporarics.  M  Yet,  in  the 
church  of  God,"  he  tells  us,  "  I  had  rather  speak  five 
words  with  my  understanding,  that  by  my  voice  I  might 
teach  others  also,  than  ten  thousand  words  in  an  un- 
known tongue."     1  Corinth,  xiv.  19. 

I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  maintain  that  the  language 
employed  in  the  following  specimens  is  uniformly  ac- 
cordant with  this  apostolic  example  ;  though,  in  various 
instances,  I  have  substituted  a  rougher  for  a  more  sono- 
rous expression,  to  guard  against  the  evil  which  it  repro- 
b  2 


18  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

bates.  If  particular  words  should  be  alleged  as  not 
generally  intelligible,  I  would  remind  the  reader  that 
the  habit  of  using  such  words  is  almost  unavoidably 
acquired  in  the  course  of  a  liberal  education,  and  of 
consequence  often  insensibly  exercised,  and  that  it  is 
much  easier  to  propose  a  good  rule,  or  a  good  resolution, 
than  uniformly  to  follow  it.  Language  a  little  antiquated, 
in  accordance  with  that  of  the  common  prose  version  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  is  perhaps  not  altogether  to  be  repu- 
diated in  a  metrical  translation  of  the  psalms  for  public 
worship.     Such  language  I  have  used  occasionally. 

In  such  a  translation,  it  is  scarcely  possible,  from  the 
very  elliptical  character  of  Hebrew  poetry,  to  obviate  the 
necessity  for  using  occasional  supplementary  words  and 
supplementary  expressions.  If  these  are  in  evident  ac- 
cordance with  the  context,  and  merely  amplify  the  idea 
which  the  Psalmist  more  darkly  expresses,  I  do  not  think 
that  the  use  of  them  can  at  all  come  within  the  case  con- 
templated by  the  inspired  writer,  when  he  says,  "  Every 
word  of  God  is  pure:  add  not  thou  unto  his  words,  lest 
he  reprove  thee,  and  thou  be  found  a  liar."  Prov.  xxx. 
5,  6.  Such  words  and  expressions  are  occasionally  used, 
even  in  the  old  Scotish  authorized  metrical  version,  and 
it  would  surely  have  been  better  to  have  used  them  more 
frequently,  than  to  have  the  word  of  God  presented  to 
the  humble  worshipper  in  so  unintelligible  a  form  as  it 
frequently  assumes  in  that  version. 

I  trust  the  psalmody  of  the  Presbyterian  church  will 
never  exhibit  any  traces  of  that  grossness  of  language, 
and  of  that  intolerable  affectation  of  familiarity  with 
all  that  is  called  God,  which,  in  certain  quarters,  are 
often  mistaken  for  the  warmth  of  Christian  devotion. 
Such  expressions  as  "dear  Lord,''  u  dear  Jesus,"  "my 
Jesus,"  which  are  ever  and  anon  recurring  in  the  places 
I  allude  to,  may  perhaps  be  tolerated,  but  surely  they 
are  not  to  be  commended.  But  what  shall  we  say  of 
my  dear  God,  and  my  dear  Almighty,  which  Dr.  Watts 
himself  (who  stands  so  much  higher  in  this  respect  than 


TRI-LIMIXARY   DISSERTATION.  19 

so  many  of  his  followers)  is  so  far  forgetful  of  propriety 
as  to  use?  See  Hymns  14  and  165,  Book  ii.  Language 
of  this  kind  has  surely  no  precedent  either  in  the  Psalms 
of  David,  or  in  the  speech  of  the  apostles.  When  the 
king  of  Israel — that  man  after  God's  own  heart — ap- 
proached the  Majesty  of  Heaven,  and  of  Earth,  it  was 
always  with  the  feelings  of  reverential  awe,  and  in  the 
language  of  self-abasement.  When  Peter,  the  tenderest 
and  the  warmest-hearted  of  all  the  apostles,  expressed  to 
his  risen  Redeemer  all  the  fulness  of  his  affection,  it  was 
sufficient  for  him  to  say,  M  Lord,  thou  knowest  all 
things;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee."  How  beauti- 
fully affecting,  how  deeply  pathetic,  how  strongly  expres- 
sive of  self-abasement  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  ardent 
love  and  devout  gratitude  on  the  other,  is  the  language 
of  the  psalmist  in  the  following  passages,  so  totally 
different  from  the  affected  familiariiy  and  offensive  gross- 
ness  of  many  modern  hymns!  u  Have  mercy  upon  me, 
O  God,  according  to  thy  loving  kindness;  according 
unto  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my 
transgressions."     Psalm  li.  1. 

"  Is  this  the  manner  of  man,  O  Lord  God  ?  And  what 
Can  David  say  more  unto  thee,  for  thou,  Lord  God, 
knowest  thy  servant?  For  thy  word's  sake,  and  accord- 
ing to  thine  own  heart,  hast  thou  done  all  these  great 
things,  to  make  thy  servant  know  them."  2  Sam.  vii. 
19. -21. 

In  regard  to  the  measures  or  kinds  of  verse  which  it 
would  be  expedient  to  adopt  in  a  new  version  of  the 
psalms,  there  is  surely  nothing,  in  the  high  example  of 
David  himself,  to  authorize  that  dull  monotonous  unifor- 
mity of  measure  which  the  old  Scottish  version  exhibits. 
Some  of  the  Psalms  o:"  David  are  addressed  to  the  Cliff 
Musician,  or  as  it  is  translated  in  the  old  Genevan  Bible, 
to  him  that  rxcclieth  on  Xeginoth  ;  others  to  the  Chief 
Musician  on  Shoshannim  ;  others  to  the  Chief  Musician 
upon  Mahalath  ;  and  others  again  to  the  (Thief  Musician 
upon  Jonatlian-elem-rechokim.     Whether  these  exprcs- 


20  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

eions,  which  it  would  be  hazardous  to  translate,  indicate 
a  variety  of  musical  instruments,  as  some  suppose,  or  a 
variety  of  tunes  merely,  as  is  thought  by  others,  it  is 
undeniable  that  they  indicate  a  much  greater  variety  of 
measure  than  any  thing  exhibited  in  the  old  monotonous 
Scotch  version. 

Of  the  three  measures  in  most  frequent  use,  in  devo- 
tional compositions  for  public  worship,  common  metre 
appears  well  adapted  for  all  psalms  of  a  didactic  cha- 
racter. Short  metre,  from  its  abruptness,  and  the  want 
of  the  two  additional  syllables  in  the  first  line  of  the 
stanza,  to  which  the  ear  is  accustomed  in  the  other  two, 
is  evidently  well  suited  for  the  language  of  strong  pas- 
sion, whether  of  grief  or  joy.  Long  metre,  on  the 
other  hand,  is,  ceteris  paribus,  unquestionably  more  of  a 
majestic  character  than  either  of  these,  and  is  therefore 
better  adapted  for  the  language  of  lofty  praise,  while  the 
same  measure,  with  alternate  rhymes,  is  a  species  of 
elegiac  verse,  and  is  consequently  well  suited  for  plain- 
tive psalms.  It  will  greatly  depend,  however,  on  the 
taste  and  feelings  of  the  versifier,  and  perhaps  even  on 
the  impressions  of  the  moment,  which  of  these  species 
of  verse  he  shall  employ  in  any  given  instance;  and 
when  he  has  made  his  selection,  he  may  doubtless,  in 
general,  defend  it  with  the  maxim  of  a  great  master  in 
the  art  of  poetry, 

Quern  penes  arbitrium  est,  aut  jus,  aut  norma  loquendi  1 

There  are  psalms,  however,  in  which  any  of  these 
three  species  of  verse  would  be  obviously  unsuitable — 
those,  I  mean,  which  resemble  in  their  composition  the 
ode  or  the  choruses  of  the  ancient  Greek  tragedies,  with 
their  Strophes  and  Antistrophes.  To  endeavour  to  ac- 
commodate such  compositions  to  the  procrustean  bed  of 
a  common  four  line  stanza,  is  a  sort  of  literary  barbarism 
equally  preposterous  and  indefensible.  Such  psalms,  es- 
pecially, were  addressed  by  their  inspired  authors  to  the 
Chief  Musician    of  their  day  ;  and  it  was  doubtless  the 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  21 

duty  of  that  personage,  when  he  found  that  there  were  no 
old  tunes  to  which  they  c->uld  be  sung  with  propriety,  to 
make  new  ones;  for  surely  the  psalms  were  not  made 
for  the  tunes,  as  they  evidently  are  in  the  common 
English  metrical  versions,  but  the  tunes  for  the  psalms. 

Psalms  of  the  kind  I  allude  to  are  divisible  i  nto  a 
variety  of  parts,  each  of  which  embraces  a  distinct  sub- 
ject, and  forms  a  unique  whole,  the  transition  from  any 
one  of  these  paits  to  the  one  that  immediately  follows 
it,  being  more  or  less  rapid,  and  the  connection  between 
them  more  or  less  obvious,  according  to  circumstances.* 
Common  sen^e  therefore  dictates  that  each  of  these  parts 
should  be  carefully  ascertained  in  the  first  place,  and  then 
embodied  in  a  separate  stanza  ;  and  that  the  stanza  should 
be  long  or  short,  as  the  case  may  require.  I  have  acted 
in  conformity  with  this  maxim  in  several  of  the  following 
translations,  without  however  introducing  any  description 
of  stanza  unknown  to  modern  devotional  poetry. 

Of  the  translations  comprised  in  the  following  speci- 
mens, 4'2  are  in  common  metre,  including  second  versions 
of  several  of  the  psalms;  127  in  long  metre;  15  in  short; 
7  in  sevens;  6  in  sixes  and  eights;  and  a  few  others  in 
metres  not  unusual  in  collections  of  hymns. 

In  regard  to  the  use  of  rhymes,  I  believe  I  have  not 
taken  greater  liberty  than  is  usually  taken  by  Watts  and 
Cowper — men  of  so  high  a  name  as  writers  of  devotional 
poetry.  Extreme  fastidiousness  in  this  respect  would,  I 
conceive,  be  unwarrantable  in  a  manual  of  devotion  for 
public  and  private  worship,  as  it  might  perhaps  tempt  the 
writer  to  sacrifice  the  sense  for  the  sound.  At  the  same 
time,  I  would  not  consider  such  rhymes  as  the  following, 
in  Dr.  Watts's  Hymns,  either  eligible  or  justifiable. 

*  The  rapid  transitions  in  psalms  of  the  higher  description  of 
poetical  composition  which  oft^n  appear  forced  and  unnatural 
to  the  English  reader,  were  probably  accompanied,  when 
chanted  in  the  original,  with  corresponding  changes  in  the 
music,  which,  in  all  likelihood,  \^ould  render  them  peculiarly 
striking  and  appropriate  in  the  estimation  of  the  ancient  Jew*. 


22  PRELI3IINARY  DISSERTATION. 

Salvation  to  the  name 

OK  our  adored  Christ: 
Through  the  wide  earth  his  praise  proclaim, 

His  glory  in  the  highest. — Book  iii.  17. 

The  Tree  of  Life  adorns  the  board 

With  rich  immortal  fruit, 
And  ne'er  an  angry  flaming  sword 

To  guard  the  passage  toH. — Book  iii.  20. 

A  few  of  the  titles  I  have  prefixed  to  the  first  twenty 
and  the  last  thirty-one  psalms  are  copied  from  Luther: 
for  the  rest  I  am  personally  responsible. 

In  regard  to  the  literary  character  of  the  following 
translations,  while  I  am  not  vain  enough  to  suppose  that 
they  are  all  fit  to  occupy  a  permanent  place  in  a  new 
metrical  version  of  the  psalms,  for  the  use  of  that  portion 
of  the  Presbyterian  communion  for  which  they  are  in- 
tended, I  would  remind  the  reader  that  it  is  not  a  series 
of  poems  I  have  submitted  to  his  consideration — each 
professing  to  exhibit,  in  the  lofty  language  and  splendid 
imagery  of  an  English  ode,  something  not  unworthy  the 
divine  majesty  and  beauty  of  the  Hebrew  original — but 
a  plain  unambitious  translation  of  that  original,  in  the 
monotonous  uniformity  of  an  English  stanza,  adapted  for 
the  use  of  plain  Christian  men  in  the  public  worship  of 
God.  For  the  former  of  these  attempts,  I  willingly 
acknowledge  that  my  right  hand  has  no  cunning  ;  for 
the  latter,  I  may  have  miscalculated  my  own  abilities, 
but  the  attempt  is  not  blameworthy,  and  if  it  should  only 
stimulate  others  of  superior  ability  to  undertake  the  task, 
I  shall  have  gained  my  end. 

At  the  same  time,  if  the  feeling  that  dictated  the  Xon 
omnis  moriar,  of  the  poet,  is  at  all  allowable  in  any  in- 
stance, surely  it  is  so  when  connected  with  the  humble 
attempt  to  re-attune  the  harp  of  David,  when  it  has  be- 
come discordant  through  the  lapse  of  ages,  and  to  elicit 
from  its  silver  chords  that  sweetest  melody  which  has 
ever  delighted   and   enraptured   the  church  in  all   past 


PRELIMINARY    DISSERTATION.  23 

generations.  I  acknowledge,  1  do  cherish  that  feeling 
in  so  far  as  not  to  be  without  hope,  that  the  work 
which  has  thus,  through  the  divine  blessing,  been  car- 
ried on  a  considerable  length  towards  its  completion, 
in  circumstances  so  unusual,  may  yet  prove  useful  to 
many  in  the  church  of  God,  in  those  remote  regions 
of  the  globe,  to  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  which 
I  have  dedicated  my  life.  And  I  confess  it  would  afford 
me  the  highest  pleasure  to  think  that  I  had  been  ho- 
noured to  clothe  any  of  the  songs  of  Zion  id  language 
that  should  be  generally  used  by  the  people  of  God  in 
those  distant  regions,  in  singing  the  high  praises  of  Je- 
hovah when  I  am  dead  and  gone. 

But  although  such  anticipations  should  never  bo  real- 
ized, I  cannot  say  with  another  of  the  ancients,  Perdidi 
operam  ct  oleum.  Xo !  When  the  voice  of  the  tempest 
has  been  loud  and  terrifically  overpowering — when  the 
vast  ocean  waves  have  been  towering  both  before  and 
behind  us,  far  above  the  deck  of  our  frail  vessel,  and  the 
ship's  violent  motion  has  made  my  lamp  swing  vehe- 
mently athwart  my  cabin,  and  rendered  it  impossible  to 
guide  my  pen — in  such  circumstances,  I  have  listened 
again  and  again  at  midnight,  to  the  still  small  voice  of 
the  harp  of  David,  till  I  almost  ceased  to  be  conscious  of 
the  war  of  the  elements  around  me.  The  Lord  was  not 
in  the  tempest,  nor  in  the  vast  billows  of  the  sea;  but 
the  Lord  was  in  that  still  small  voice;  and  where  the 
Lord  is,  there  assuredly  there  is  peace  and  pleasure,  and 
fulness  of  joy. 


the 

PSALMS  OF  DAVID. 


PSALM  I.        L.  M. 

The  righteous   and  the  ivicked%contrasted  in   their 
characters  and  in  their  end. 

*  1    XJLEST  is  the  man  who  walks  not  in 
The  counsel  of  th'  ungodly  race, 
Who  stands  not  in  the  paths  of  si:i, 
Xor  sitteth  in  the  scoffer's  place. 

2  But  whose  supreme  and  great  delight 

Are  the  pure  precepts  of  the  Lord, 
Who  meditates  both  day  and  night 
Upon  Jehovah's  holy  word. 

3  Like  a  tall  verdant  tree,  whose  root 

Drinks  moisture  from  some  water-stream, 
And  yearly  yields  abundant  fruit; 
So  shall  it  ever  be  with  him. 

4  Far  different  are  th'  ungodly  race: 

Whatever  hopes  they  vainly  form, 
They  shall  be  driven  from  their  place 
Like  chaff  before  the  driving  storm. 

5  For  when  th*  assembled  just  shall  stand 

Before  the  Judge  in  dread  array, 

To  take  their  portion  from  his  hand, 

The  wicked  then  shall  fade  away, 

6  For  all  his  people's  paths  the  Lord 

Beholds  with  an  approving  eye, 
But  all  who  scorn  his  laws  and  word 
Shall  perish  everlastingly. 


26  PSALMS. 

PSALM  I.       C.  M. 

(  Old  version  modernized.) 

1  Q  HAPPY  is  the  man  and  blest, 

Who  walketh  not  astray, 
In  counsel  of  ungodly  men, 
Nor  stands  in  sinners'  way  ; 

2  Nor  sitteth  in  the  scorner's  chair ; 

But  placeth  his  delight 
Upon  God's  law,  and  meditates 
Thereon  both  day  and  night. 

3  He  shall  be  like  a  tree  that  grows 

In  some  well-watered  scene, 
Which  yearly  yields  abundant  fruit, 
Whose  leaf  is  ever  green. 

4  For  all  he  doth  shall  prosper  still : 

Not  so  th'  ungodly  race  ; 
They,  like  the  chaff  before  the  storm, 
Are  driven  from  their  place. 

5  The  ungodly  therefore  shall  not  stand 

In  the  great  judgment  day, 
Nor  mingle  with  th'  assembled  just 
In  glorified  array. 

6  For  why  ?   the  Lord  knows  and  approves 

The  way  the  righteous  go : 
But  sinners  and  their  works  shall  meet 
A  dreadful  overthrow. 

PSALM  II.       P.  M. 

The  firm  establishment,  universal  extent,  and  eternal 
duration  of  the  glorious  kingdom  of  Messiah.  A 
prophetic  ode. 

1  \\THY  do  the  heathen  rage  1 

Their  princes  and  their  kings 


TSAL3IS.  27 


With  Judah's  sons  engage 

In  vain  imaginings,* 
Against  the  High  and  Holy  One, 
The  Lord  and  his  anointed  Son. 

2  Combining  hearts  and  hands, 

They  blasphemously  say    « 
"Come,  let  us  break  their  bands, 

And  cast  their  cords  away." 
The  Lord  who  sits  enthroned  on  high 
Laughs  at  their  wild  impiety. 

3  Yea,  God  looks  down  in  scorn 

On  their  assembled  strength  ; 
Soon  shall  his  anger  burn, 

And  he  will  speak  at  length  : 
And  in  the  fury  of  his  wrath 
Confound  his  enemies  in  their  path. 

4  "  Declare  the  sure  decree," 

So  speaks  th'  Almighty  One, 
"I  have  begotten  thee 

This  day,  my  only  Son. 
Thee  Zion's  king,  lo  !  I  ordain, 
On  Zion's  holy  mountain  reign. 

5  "Ask,  and  thy  power  advance 

O'er  all  the  heathen  round  ; 
For  thine  inheritance 

Is  earth's  remotest  bound. 
With  iron  rod  crush  thou  them  all, 
And  as  a  potsherd  break  them  small." 

6  Now,  therefore,  kings,  attend, 

Ye  rulers  of  the  earth, 
Before  Jehovah  bend, 

Join  trembling  with  your  mirth. 

*  fee  note  A,  Ps.  & 


28  PSALMS. 

Be  wise  betimes ;  kiss  ye  the  Son, 
Lest  in  his  wrath  ye  be  undone. 

7  For  soon  his  furious  wrath 

Shall  like  a  furnace  blaze, 
Consuming  in  their  path 

The  scorners  of  his  grace. 
Blest  then  is  each  right-hearted  one, 
Who  puts  his  trust  in  him  alone. 

PSALM  III.       C.  M. 

Deliverance  from  temporal  enemies  celebrated. 

*  f\  LORD,  how  numerous  are  my  foes ! 
Where'er  I  look  abroad, 
Many  against  me  rise,  and  say, 
"He  has  no  hope  in  God." 

2  Yet  thou  my  shield  and  glory  art, 

Thine  hand  upholds  me  still ; 
I  cried,  yea,  and  the  Lord  replied 
Even  from  his  holy  hill. 

3  I  laid  me  down  and  slept  and  waked, 

God  kept  me  safe  and  sound  ; 

I  will  not  fear  ten  thousand  men 

Ranged  all  against  me  round. 

4  Arise,  O  Lord ;  save  me,  my  God  ; 

Even  as  in  former  woes, 
Thou  brak'st  the  cheek-bone  and  the  teeth 
Of  my  malicious  foes. 

5  Salvation  to  the  Lord  belongs. 

Lord,  let  thy  blessing  rest 
On  us,  thy  people,  and  we  shall 
For  evermore  be  blest. 


PSALMS.  29 

PSALM  IV.       L.  Iff. 
Goifs  favour  man's  felicity. 

1  T7NLARGE  me,  lord,  in  my  distress, 

Thou  witness  of  my  righteousness; 
Be  merciful  to  me,  and  hear 
The  breathings  of  my  lowly  prayer. 

2  How  long,  ye  sons  of  men,  *ill  yo 
Deride  my  royal  dignity  ! 

How  long,  ye  great  and  worldly  wise, 
Will  ye  love  vanity  and  lies]* 

3  Know  that  the  high  and  holy  One 
The  godly  man  marks  for  his  own  ; 
Jehovah  hears  me  when  I  call, 
Hears  and  delivers  me  from  thrall. 

4  0  fear  his  name;  from  sin  depart; 
In  silence  commune  with  your  heart; 
Offer  the  fruits  of  righteousness, 
And  trust  ye  in  Jehovah's  grace. 

5  Lord,  while  so  many  seek  in  vain 
For  earthly  good  and  earthly  gain, 
O  let  thy  light  and  love  divine 
Cheer  and  possess  this  heart  of  mine. 

6  So  shall  I  still  be  happier  far 

Than  prosperous  worldlings  ever  are  : 
So  shall  my  life  be  peace;  the  Lord 
My  joy  by  day,  by  night  my  guard. 

PSALM  V.       C.  Iff. 

.1  prayer  for  the  morning  of  the  Sabbath. 

1   C\  LORD,  my  God,  in  mercy  hear 
My  sorrowful  complaints; 

*  See  note  A,  Ps.  4. 
c  2 


30  PSALMS. 

Give  ear  unto  my  lowly  prayer, 
Thou  glorious  king  of  saints. 

2  Lord,  thou  shalt  early  hear  my  voice ; 

A  suppliant  at  thy  gate, 
Early  to  thee  I'll  lift  my  eyes, 
And  for  thy  blessing  wait. 

3  For  thou  art  holy,  and  with  thee 

No  wickedness  can  dwell; 
Sinners  shall  from  thy  presence  flee 
Down  to  the  lowest  hell. 

4  Thou  hatest  all  unrighteousness, 

Destroy  est  every  liar; 
The  bloody  and  deceitful  race 
Shall  know  thy  fiercest  ire. 

5  But  I  into  thy  house  will  go, 

Through  thine  abundant  grace, 
And  praying  thus  devoutly  bow 
Within  thy  holy  place.* 

6  "  Lord,  from  the  paths  of  righteousness 

Permit  me  not  to  stray; 

For  watchful  are  my  enemies  : 

Show  me  thy  holy  way. 

7  For  false  and  treacherous  they  are ; 

Polluted  is  their  heart; 
Their  throat's  an  open  sepulchre; 
They  ply  the  flatterer's  art. 

8  Lord,  let  their  every  art  be  vain, 

Confound  their  wickedness; 
Let  ruin  seize  the  sinful  men 
And  the  rebellious  race. 

*  See  note  A,  Ps.  5. 


PSALMS.  31 

9  But  let  all  those  who  trust  in  thee 

And  know  thy  saving  grace, 
Let  them  rejoice  exultingly, 
And  shouts  of  triumph  raise. 

10  For  to  the  righteous  man  the  Lord 

Will  choicest  blessings  yield  ; 

His  grace  protection  shall  aftbrd, 

And  guard  him  like  ashielfl." 

PSALM  VI.       L.  M. 

A  prayer  for  a  time  of  sickness. 

1  T  ORD,  in  thy  mercy  chasten  me, 

Nor  let  thy  wrath  so  fiercely  burn  ! 
Heal  me,  O  Lord,  and  set  me  free  ; 
O,  in  thy  love  to  me  return  ! 

2  My  bones  are  vexed,  my  flesh  is  weak  ; 

My  spirit's  also  vexed  sore ; 
O  save  me  for  thy  mercies'  sake, 

Nor  bruise  a  suppliant  sinner  more  ! 

3  To  all  around  I  seem  to  die ; 

But  still  from  death  in  pity  save  ! 
For  all  the  dead  in  silence  lie  ; 

How  can  they  praise  thee  in  the  grave  ? 

4  In  weariness  by  day  F  groan, 

"Watering  my  pillow  with  my  tears; 
And  sleepless  all  the  night  I  moan, 
Until  the  morning  light  appears. 

5.  Consumed  with  grief,  my  wasted  frame 
Looks  old,  and  all  my  foes  rejoice.* 
Ye  wicked,  cease  your  envious  dream, 
For  God  hath  heard  my  suppliant  voice. 

*  See  note  A,  Ps.  6. 


32  PSALMS. 

6  Yea !  God  hath  heard  my  lowly  prayer, 
And  filled  my  enemies  with  shame, 
And  sore  vexation  and  despair: 
For  ever  blessed  be  his  name. 

PSALM  VII.       L.  M. 

Deliverance  from  enemies  implored,  -with  a  prophetic 
view  of  the  destruction  of  the  -wicked. 

1  Q  LORD,  my  God,  I  trust  in  thee ; 

O  save  me  from  mine  enemy ; 
Lest,  like  a  lion,  he  should  tear 
My  soul,  and  no  deliverer  near  ! 

2  0  Lord,  my  God,  if  artful  guile 
My  sin-polluted  hands  defile; 

If  I  have  wronged  my  friend,  or  low, 
Through  dire  oppression,  brought  my  foe ; 

3  Then  let  that  foe  pursue  and  slay; 
Yea,  let  my  life  the  forfeit  pay : 
Let  foul  dishonour  blot  my  name, 
And  all  my  glory  turn  to  shame ! 

4  Rise,  in  thine  anger,  Lord,  arise 
Against  thy  wrathful  enemies. 
Rise  in  thy  justice,  and  decree 
A  righteous  award  to  me. 

5  So  shall  th'  assembled  saints  surround 
Thy  throne  on  Zion's  holy  ground  ; 
For  them  resume  thine  awful  throne 
As  judge  supreme,  Almighty  One. 

6  The  Lord  is  judge;  before  his  seat 
All  nations  shall  submissive  meet ; 
Then  mercifully  judge  thou  me, 
Even  after  mine  integrity. 


psalms.  33 

7  Lord,  let  the  wicked's  malice  end, 
But  bless  the  righteous  and  defend. 
God  sounds  the  heart  and  tries  the  reins, 
And  judgment  righteously  ordains. 

8  The  Saviour  of  th'  upright  in  heart, 
Lord,  thou  my  shield  and  buckler  art ; 
God  will  the  just  approve  and  own, 
But  on  the  wicked  rests  his  frown. 

9  If  he  repent  not,  then  the  Lord 
Will  sharpen  his  avenging  sword; 
And  fix  his  shafts  upon  his  bow, 
Even  flaming  shafts  to  lay  him  low. 

10  The  mischief-plotting  sinner  see, 
All  pregnant  with  iniquity  ! 
The  offspring  of  his  malice  still 
Is  shame  and  self-requited  ill.* 

1 1  The  pitfal  he  prepares  alone, 

For  other's  grave,  becomes  his  own  : 
His  \iolence,  inspiring  dread, 
Descends  on  his  own  guilty  head. 

12  Then  O,  my  soul,  Jehovah  bless, 
According  to  his  righteousness  ; 
Yea,  joyful  anthems  I  will  sing 
To  God,  my  holy,  heavenly  king  ! 

PSALM  VIII.       S.  M. 

The  glory  of  God  in  the  -works  of  creation. 

1   JEHOVAH,  Lord  of  all, 

How  glorious  is  thy  name! 
Thy  glory  shines  through  all  the  earth, 
And  in  the  starry  frame. 

I  Bee  note  A.  P-: 


34  PSALMS. 

2  Even  by  the  mouth  of  babes 

Thy  strength  thou  didst  ordain 

'1  o  still  the  wrath  of  vengeful  foes, 

And  their  fierce  rage  restrain. 

3  When  I  behold  the  heavens, 

Thy  work  of  matchless  might, 
The  moon  and  stars  which  thou  hast  formed 
To  cheer  the  gloom  of  night: 

4  Then  say  I,  "  What  is  man, 

To  think  of  him,  O  Lord  ! 
Or  what  the  son  of  man  that  thou 
Shouldst  view  him  with  regard  ! 

5  "  For  next  the  angel  hosts 

Thou  hast  assigned  his  place; 
And  thou  hast  crowned  his  honoured  head 
With  majesty  and  grace." 

6  Lord  over  all  thy  works, 

By  thy  divine  decree, 
Whatever  lives  obeys  his  power, 
And  owns  his  sovereignty  : 

7  All  sheep  and  oxen  tame, 

The  beasts  that  roam  the  fields, 
Birds  of  the  air,  and  all  the  tribes 
The  teeming  ocean  yields. 

8  Jehovah,  Lord  of  all, 

How  glorious  is  thy  name  ; 
Thy  glory  shines  through  all  the  earth, 
And  in  the  starry  frame  ! 


PSALMS.  35 

PSALM  DL"       C.  M. 

God  the  deliverer  of  his  people  from  all  their  enemies. 

1  ^HEE  will  I  praise  with  all  my  heart, 

O  God,  thou  mighty  Lord, 
The  wonders  which  thy  hands  have  wrought 
I'll  gratefully  record. 

2  In  thee,  Most  High,  I'll  greatly  joy, 

And  celebrate  thy  name  ; 
For  thou  hast  vanquished  all  my  foes, 
And  put  their  hosts  to  shame. 

3  They  stumbled  underneath  thy  frown, 

They  perished  at  thy  sight ; 
A  righteous  Judge  enthroned  on  high, 
Thou  hast  maintained  ray  right. 

4  The  heathen  lands  thou  hast  rebuked, 

The  wicked  overthrown, 
And  their  names  blotted  out,  that  they 
May  never  more  be  known. 

5  O  enemy,  thy  cruel  swords 

No  longer  bring  dismay  ; 
Thy  cities  overthrown,  thy  name 
Has  perished  now  for  aye.y 

6  But  God  for  ever  lives  and  reigns  ; 

He,  on  his  awful  throne, 
Shall  judge  the  world  in  righteousness, 
And  justice  give  each  one. 

7  God  will  a  tower  of  refuge  be 

To  those  that  are  oppressed  ; 
A  refuge  sure  in  troublous  times 
To  all  that  are  distressed. 

*  See  note  A,  Ps  9.  ]  See  note  B,  Ts.  9. 


36  P8ALM8. 

8  And  they  that  know  thy  name,  in  thee 

Their  confidence  will  place; 

For  thou  hast  not  forsaken  them 

That  seek  thy  Messed  face. 

9  0,  ye  his  people,  sing  ye  praise 

To  Zion's  mighty  Lord  ; 
In  every  nation,  every  land, 
His  glorious  works  record. 

10  When  searching  into  deeds  of  blood, 

He  pities  the  oppressed, 
And  with  a  gracious  ear  he  hears 
The  cry  of  the  distressed. 

11  Lord,  pity  me;  look  on  the  wrongs 

I  from  my  foes  sustain, 
Even  thou,  who  from  the  gates  of  death 
Upliftest  me  again  ; 

12  That  I  in  Zion's  blessed  courts 

May  celebrate  thy  praise  ;• 
And  in  thy  great  salvation  still 
Be  joyful  all  my  days. 

13  Sinners  have  sunk  into  the  pit 

They  had  themselves  prepared  ; 

And  in  the  net  they  spread  unseen, 

Lo  !  their  own  feet  are  snared  ! 

14  The  Lord  Jehovah  is  revealed  ! 

Judgment  our  God  hath  wrought! 
For  in  the  snares  themselves  had  laid, 
The  sinners'  feet  are  caught ! 

15  Yea,  all  the  race  of  wicked  men 

On  all  the  earth  that  dwell, 

*  See  note  C,  Ps.  9. 


MALMS.  37 

All  who  forget  the  living  God, 
Shall  be  turned  into  hell. 

16  For  yet  the  need)7  and  oppressed 

Who  suffer  grief  and  pain, 
Shall  be  remembered  by  the  Lord, 
Nor  shall  their  hopes  be  vain. 

17  Arise,  Lord,  nor  let  men  prevail; 

Judge  all  the  world  abroad; 
That  men  may  know  themselves  but  dust, 
And  thee  the  mighty  God. 

PSALM  X.*       8.  M. 

Description  of  the  -wicked,  -with  a  prophetic  view  of  the 
ivorhVs  entire  deliverance  from  their  power  in  the 
glorious  reign  of  the  ^Messiah. 

1  "VI^HY  standest  thou  afar] 

Why  turn  thy  face  away! 
Why  hidest  thou  thyself,  O  Lord, 
In  this  distressful  day  1 

2  Relentless,  proud  and  fierce, 

The  wicked  reign  secure, 
Combining,  with  malignant  arts, 
To  persecute  the  poor.-j- 

3  Boasting  their  great  success, 

And  doating  on  their  hoard, 
They  bless  their  own  prosperity- 
While  they  blaspheme  the  Lord.^ 

4  A  proud,  ungodly  race, 

On  God  they  do  not  call ; 
For  they  have  said  within  their  hearts 
"There  is  no  God  at  all." 

•  See  note  A,  Ps.  10.  |  ?ee  note  B.  Ps   W 

;  See  note  C,  Ts.  10. 


38  PSALMS. 

5  Crooked  are  all  their  ways; 

Unmindful  of  thy  wrath, 
They  treat  their  enemies  with  scorn, 
And  turn  not  from  their  path. 

6  Within  their  hearts  they  say, 

"  Lo  !   we  have  grown  so  great, 
Adversity  shall  never  reach 
Our  prosperous  estate.', 

7  Their  mouth  is  ever  filled 

With  cursing,  fraud  and  lies  ; 
Vain  is  their  language,  and  their  hearts 
Malicious  schemes  devise. 

8  They  lurk  in  secret  paths, 

On  deeds  of  darkness  bent, 
To  circumvent  the  helpless  poor. 
And  slay  the  innocent. 

9  Like  lions  in  their  dens, 

They  lie  from  day  to  day, 
To  watch  the  needy  and  the  poor, 
And  snare  them  for  their  prey. 

10  To  meanest  arts  they  stoop, 

And  crouch  even  to  the  dust, 
That  so  their  victims  may  be  snared, 
And  multitudes  oppressed. 

1 1  And  thus  they  madly  say, 

"  Sure,  God  forgets  it  all ; 
He  hides  his  face  and  sees  it  not, 
Nor  hears  the  suppliants'  calL" 

12  Arise,  O  mighty  God  ! 

O  Lord,  lift  up  thine  hand  ; 
Forget  not  thine  afflicted  ones 
In  this  ungodly  land. 


rauLUt*  :^9 

i  .1   Why  should  the  wicked  scorn 
Thy  justice  and  thy  might  ] 
Or  say,  "The  Lord  will  not  require, 
The  Lord  will  not  requite  •" 

14  Sure,  thou  hast  seen,  and  shalt 

Their  cruel  wrongs  repay; 
To  thee  the  poor  commits  his»cause, 
Thou  art  the  orphan's  stay. 

15  Crush  thou  the  wicked's  power, 

And  let  their  empire  cease, 
Till  men  shall  search  for  them  in  vain 
Amid  the  reign  of  peace  ! 

16  Behold,  this  reign  begins  ! 

The  Lord  is  king  for  aye  ! 
And  all  the  wicked  from  his  land 
Have  melted  quite  away  ! 

17  Lord,  thou  hast  surely  heard 

The  humble's  lowly  prayer; 
Thou  wilt  prepare  their  hearts  to  pray, 
And  bend  thine  ear  to  hear  ; 

18  Th'  afflicted  to  relieve, 

The  orphan  race  to  bless  ; 
That  earth-born  and  ungodly  men 
May  never  more  oppress. 

PSALM  XI.       C.  M. 
Confidence  in  God  amid  the  machinations  of  the  -wicked. 

1    TX  God  alone  I  put  my  trust ; 
How  is  it  then  ye  say, 
M  Flee  as  a  bird  to  some  high  hill 
Or  mountain  far  away  ! 

*2   For,  lo  !   the  wicked  bend  their  bow, 
And  take  their  deadly  aim 


4U  PSALMS. 

At  all  the  righteous  in  the  land 
Who  fear  Jehovah's  name. 

3  And  if  confusion  and  misrule 

Prevail  on  every  hand, 
What  can  the  righleous  do  hut  flee 
From  an  unhappy  land  !" 

4  God  in  his  holy  mansion  dwells ; 

Heaven  is  his  lofty  throne ; 
There  he  beholds  and  knows  full  well 
Whatever  men  have  done. 

5  These  dark  events  are  only  meant 

His  saints  on  earth  to  try; 
For  violent  and  wicked  men 
He  hates,  and  will  destroy. 

6  Snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  furious  storms 

On  sinners  he  shall  rain  ; 
This  is  the  portion  of  their  cup, 
Even  everlasting  pain. 

7  For  God  is  righteous,  and  delights 

In  righteousness  alone  ; 
He  ever  bends  a  gracious  eye 
On  each  pure-hearted  one. 

PSALM  XII.       C.  M. 

God's  preservation  of  the  righteous,  notwithstanding  the 
prevalence  of  ungodliness. 

1  XJELP  us,  O  God  !   for  godly  men 

Grow  fewer  every  day, 
And  from  amongst  the  sons  of  men 
The  faithful  fade  away. 

2  Vain  and  unprofitable  talk 

Delights  both  old  and  young  : 


mi  MM  41 

Deceit  is  ever  in  their  heart, 
And  flattery  on  their  tongue. 

9   God  shall  destroy  the  flattering  race 
Who  proudly  thus  declaim, 
••  Our  tongues  are  ours;   we  know  no  lord, 
And  own  no  master's  name/' 
i 
I   ••  Now,"  saith  the  Lord,  u  I  will  arise 
To  succour  the  oppressed, 
To  wipe  the  godly's  tears  away. 
And  give  them  peace  and  rest/' 

5  How  precious  are  thy  words,  0  God  ! 

More  comfort  they  inspire, 
Than  heaps  of  silver  puriried 
In  the  refiner's  fire.* 

6  Lord,  thou  shalt  safely  keep  thy  saints 

From  this  ungodly  race  ; 
Though  sinners  swarm,  and  vilest  men 
Hold  an  exalted  place. 

PSALM  XIII.       S.  ftf. 

Prayer  for  a  time  of  mental  despondencv. 

1   T   ORD,  wilt  thou  still  forget, 
Nor  show  thy  blessed  face  ! 
Lord,  wilt  thou  leave  my  soul  for  aye 
To  darkness  and  distress  7 

3   Oh,  shall  I  still  be  left 
In  bitterness  to  mourn, 
And  my  fierce  enemy  exult 
While  I  am  all  forlorn  ! 

3   O  Lord,  my  God.  give  ear, 
And  let  thy  light  divine. 

•  Bei  miU  A    tv  12 

D  2 


42  PSALMS. 

Ere  I  have  slept  the  sleep  of  death, 
Cheer  this  sad  soul  of  mine  ! 

4   Lest  my  malignant  foe 

Say,  "  Lo  !  I  have  prevailed !" 

And  those  that  trouble  me  rejoice 

When  all  my  hope  has  failed  ! 

6  Lord,  in  thy  grace  I  trust ; 
To  thee  1  lift  my  voice, 
For  in  thy  great  salvation,  Lord, 
My  heart  shall  still  rejoice. 

6  Yea,  I  will  bless  the  Lord, 
And  celebrate  his  praise; 
For  he  has  made  me  feel  his  love, 
And  know  his  saving  grace. 

PSALM  XIV.       C.  M. 

The  universal  depravity  of  man. 

1  "  rPHERE  is  no  God  at  all,"  the  fool 

Thinks  in  his  heart  and  says, — 
A  corrupt  race,  their  works  are  vile, 
And  hateful  are  their  ways. 

2  The  Lord  looked  down  from  Heaven  to  view 

Mankind  the  world  abroad, 

To  see  if  even  one  were  good, 

And  sought  the  living  God. 

3  But  the  whole  race  of  men  were  vile  ; 

Astray  they  all  had  gone  ; 
And  not  one  righteous  man  was  found 
In  the  wide  world — not  one  ! 

4  Shall  not  God  mark  those  wicked  men, 

Who  greedily  devour 


PSALM-.  43 

His  people  M  their  daily  food, 
Nor  fear  his  mighty  power  ! 

5   Yea,  they  shall  fear  Him  ;  for  God  loves 
And  dwells  among  the  just, 
For  though  they  scorn  his  people's  hope, 

Jehovah  is  their  trust. 

« 

fi  O  that  from  Zion's  holy  hill 
Salvation  soon  might  come 
To  Israel's  race — that  God  wTould  bring 
His  captive  people  home  ! 

7  Then  should  his  saints  in  gladsome  strains 
Sound  the  loud  anthem  high; 
O,  Jacob,  thou  would'st  triumph  then, 
And  Israel  shout  for  joy  ! 

PSALM  XV.        C.  If. 

The  citizen  of  Zion  described. 

1  A\^HO  shall  abide  within  the  place 

Where  thou  abidest,  God  of  grace  ? 
And  who  shall  have  his  dwelling  still 
On  Zion's  high  and  holy  hill  ? 

2  The  man  whose  conduct  is  upright; 
Whose  actions  ever  just  and  right; 
Who  speaks  the  language  of  his  heart, 
And  scorns  to  act  the  liar's  part. 

3  Who  never  slanders  with  his  tongue, 
Nor  does  his  neighbour  wilful  wrong; 
Who  neither  frames  an  ill  report, 
Nor  spreads  it  to  his  neighbour's  hurt. 

4  Who  with  abhorrence  would  behold 
The  vile  man  tho'  bedecked  with  gold. 


44  FSALM>. 

But  honours  men  of  piety, 
Although  of  mean  and  low  degree. 

5  Who,  when  he  promises  or  swears, 
Performs,  whatever  loss  he  bears  ; 
And  ne'er  receives  usurious  gain, 
Or  bribe  to  give  the  guiltless  pain. 

6  Such  is  the  man  whose  firm  abode 
Shall  ever  be  with  Jacob's  God  ; 
Yea,  he  shall  have  his  dwelling  still 
On  Zion's  high  and  holy  bill. 

PSALM  XVI.*      C.  M. 

The  sufferings  and  glory  of  Christ. 

1  "  pRESERVE  me,  Thou  Eternal  Lord, 

I  cast  me  on  thy  care  :" 
To  God  I  thus  addressed  the  word 
Of  supplicating  prayer. 

2  O  God,  Thou  High  and  Holy  One, 

Thou  source  of  lasting  peace, 
On  thy  benignity  alone 
Rests  all  my  happiness. 

3  For  all  the  gods  the  sons  of  men 

With  blinded  zeal  adore, 
And  worship  with  oblations  vain, 
I  utterly  abhor. 

4  Though  many  an  eager  worshipper 

Their  fancied  power  proclaims, 
Their  bloody  rites  I  will  not  share, 
Nor  call  upon  their  names. 

*  See  Note  A,  Pa.  16. 


I»JSALM.S.  1") 


5  Jthovah  is  my  portion  sure, 

My  cup  of  chiefest  joy, 
He  keeps  my  heritage  secure 
From  all  who  would  destroy. 

6  Surely  where  streams  of  pleasure  join, 

My  happy  lot  is  cast  ! 
A  goodly  heritage  is  mine,     * 
That  ne'er  can  be  surpassed. 

7  O,  I  will  ever  bless  the  Lord, 

Whose  counsel  guides  my  way  ; 
For  in  the  night  my  reins  afford 
Instruction  for  the  day. 

S   I  set  the  Lord  before  my  face  ; 
Nought  shall  my  scul  annoy  : 
His  blessed  presence  and  his  grace 
Ensure  my  peace  and  joy. 

9   Therefore  I'll  bear  my  spirit  up, 
In  sorrow's  deepest  gloom  : 
My  rlesh  &hall  also  rest  in  hope, 
Even  in  the  silent  tomb. 

10  For  sure  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul 

In  the  dark  grave  for  aye  : 
Not  give  thine  Holy  One  to  foul 
Corruption  and  decay. 

11  Thou  wilt  me  raise  to  life  divine  ; 

And  in  the  heavenly  land 
Joy  everlasting  shall  be  mine, 
Lord,  at  thine  own  right  hand. 


46  PSALMS. 


PSALM  XVII.     C.  M. 

The  future  happiness  of  the  righteous  contrasted  with 
the  worldly  prosperity  of  the  ivicked. 

*   T   ORD,  vindicate  my  righteous  cause, 
And  lend  a  gracious  ear 
Unto  my  cry ;  be  pleased  to  hear 
My  undissembled  prayer: 

2  And  grant  me  from  thy  heavenly  courts 

A  merciful  award  ; 
Yea,  let  thine  own  all-seeing  eye 
Discern  the  right,  O  Lord. 

3  Lord,  thou  hast  searched  and  tried  my  heart. 

But  no  deceit  hast  found, 
Though  thou  hast  tried  me  in  the  night 
When  darkness  reigned  around. 

4  Whate'er  the  sons  of  men  may  do, 

My  tongue  shall  not  transgress; 
Thy  word  shall  keep  me  from  the  works 
And  ways  of  wickedness. 

5  Uphold  me  in  thy  paths,  O  God, 

Xor  suffer  me  to  fall ; 
Incline  thine  ear,  as  thou  ait  wont, 
And  hear  me  when  I  call. 

6  Thy  wondrous  mercies,  Lord,  display, 

Thou,  whose  Almighty  power 
Preserves  all  those  who  trust  in  thee 
In  every  evil  hour, 

7  Even  as  the  apple  of  thine  eye 

Keep  me,  O  King  of  kings; 
Hide  me  from  all  my  foes  beneath 
The  shadow  of  thy  wings. 


11 


8  For  wicked  men  their  deadly  hate 

Display  on  every  side, 
Men  who  are  swelled  with  luxury, 
Whose  words  are  full  of  pride. 

9  With  watchful  malice  they  beset 

My  steps  where'er  I  go  ; 
They  follow  me  with  artful  guile 
To  work  my  overthrow.*     « 

10  Even  as  a  hungry  lion  lurks 

To  spring  upon  his  prey. 
Or  a  young  lion  crouching  down 
In  secret  by  the  way. 

1 1  Arise  and  disappoint  their  hopes  ; 

Humble  their  pride,  O  Loid  ; 

And  rescue  me  from  wicked  men 

With  thine  avenging  sword.f 

12  Save  me,  O  God,  from  worldly  men. 

To  whom  thine  hand  has  given 

The  portion  of  their  choice  on  earth. 

Without  one  thought  of  heaven. 

13  Thou  fillest  them  with  treasures  here, 

Even  all  their  hearts  love  best: 

Their  children  have  abundance  too, 

And  leave  their  heirs  the  rest.} 

14  But  mine's  a  happier  lot  by  far, 

For  I  shall  see  thy  face, 
And  stand  before  thee,  O  my  God, 
In  perfect  righteousness. 

15  Yea,  when  uprising  from  the  grave, 

I  see  thy  glory  bright, 

1  See  note  A,  Fs.  IT.  |  See  ncte  B.  P=    1" 

:  See  note  C.  Ps.  17. 


48  PSALMS. 

O,  I  shall  evermore  enjoy 
Unspeakable  delight. 

PSALM  XVIII.       P.  M. 

A  Triumphal  Ode,  descriptive  of  the  victories  of  David, 
and  prophetical  of  the  triumphs  of  Christ. 

1  C\  LORD,  my  strength,  my  grateful  heart 

Will  love  thee  till  my  dying  day; 
My  Fortress  and  my  Rock,  Thou  art, 
My  strong  Deliverer  and  my  Stay  ; 
My  God,  my  Shield,  my  lofty  Tower, 
My  Saviour  in  my  evil  hour ! 

2  0  1  will  call  upon  the  Lord, 

To  whom  alone  be  endless  praise  ; 
So  shall  his  mighty  arm  afford 

Salvation  from  my  enemies. 
O  I  will  ever  gladly  sing 
The  praises  of  my  God  and  king. 

3  Death  and  his  terrors  stood  around  ! 

Fearful  I  saw  the  rising  wave 
Of  wicked  men  !   Already  bound 

In  the  firm  fetters  of  the  grave, 
My  soul  had  almost  sunk  beneath 
The  overpowering  shafts  of  death.* 

4  Then,  in  my  great  extremity, 

I  called  upon  the  Lord  alone  ; 
Yea,  O  my  God,  I  cried  to  thee, 

When  other  helpers  there  were  none. 
He,  from  his  temple,  heard  my  voice, 
And  listened  to  my  mournful  cries. 

*  See  note  A,  Ps.  ]?. 


5  Then  the  earth  shook  and  quaked  for  fear : 

The  mountains  trembled  to  their  base, 
And,  firm  though  their  foundations  were, 

Started  in  terror  from  their  place: 
For  God  was  wroth,  and  his  right  arm 
Uplifted,  caused  the  dread  alarm. 

6  Dense  volumes  of  sulphureous  smoke 

He  breathed  around  him;«fiery  flame 
Out  from  his  mouth  incessant  broke, 

Devouring  wheresoe'er  it  came.* 
He  bowed  the  arch  of  heaven  on  high, 
When  He  descended  from  the  sky. 

?   Thick  darkness  was  beneath  his  feet : 
On  flaming  cherubim  he  rode; 
And  on  the  whirlwind's  wings  so  fleet, 

Flew  all  athwart  the  world  abroad. 
Thick  clouds  and  darkness  most  profound, 
Tent-like,  pavilioned  him  around. 

8  But  at  the  brightness  of  his  face 

The  clouds  dissolved  in  hail  and  fire: 
God  thundered  in  his  heavenly  place, 

The  Highest  spake  in  hottest  ire: 
He  shot  his  shafts  and  routed  them 
With  lightnings,  hail  and  fiery  flame. 

9  The  ocean  then  forsook  its  bed, 

And  all  its  billows  rolled  away  : 
Then  were  the  earth's  foundations  laid 

All  open  to  the  gaze  of  day  : 
At  thy  rebuke  the  floods  fled  fast, 
Lord,  at  thy  nostrils'  fiery  blast  If 

'  ^r  note  B,  T^    18.  •  .See  note  I  .  P>   18. 


50  PSALMS. 

10  From  heaven  above  the  Lord  sent  down 

And  drew  me  from  the  raging  flood ; 
From  powerful  foes,  whose  wrathful  frown 

And  power  I  ne'er  had  else  withstood  : 
They  had  o'erwhelmed  me  utterly, 
But  God,  my  succour,  then  was  nigh. 

1 1  'Twas  He  alone  who  set  me  free, 

And  brought  me  to  a  spacious  place, 
For  he  had  set  his  love  on  me. 

According  to  my  righteousness 
And  mine  integrity,  the  Lord 
Has  blessed  me  with  a  rich  reward. 

12  For  I  have  kept  his  holy  ways, 

Nor  in  the  sinner's  footsteps  trod: 
His  judgments  were  before  my  face, 

Nor  have  I  scorned  the  laws  of  God. 
I  ever  lived,  as  in  his  sight, 
In  action  pure,  in  heart  upright. 

13  For  this,  the  all-discerning  Lord, 

To  whom  be  everlasting  praise, 
Has  granted  me  a  rich  reward, 

According  to  my  righteousness: 
Because  he  saw  my  hands  were  clean, 
Yea,  and  my  heart  sincere  within. 

14  For  God  is  ever  kind  to  those 

Who  bear  a  kind  and  tender  heart ; 
And  his  uprightness  daily  shows 

To  those  who  act  an  upright  part; 
Pure  to  the  pure,  his  furious  wrath 
Pursues  the  perverse  in  their  path. 

15  For  thou  th'  afflicted  wilt  advance, 

And  to  eternal  glory  raise ; 


PSALMS.  51 

But  all  the  proud  and  lofty  ones, 

O  thou  wilt  mightily  abase: 
Yea,  thou  hast  made  my  lamp  burn  bright, 
And  turned  my  darkness  into  light. 

16  With  thine  assistance  I  have  run 

Through  thickest  foes,  nor  suffered  thrall ; 
Yea,  strengthened  by  my  God  alone, 

I've  safely  scaled  the  highest  wall : 
Nor  sword  nor  spear  could  do  me  harm, 
When  shielded  by  Jehovah's  arm. 

17  O  God,  all-perfect  are  thy  ways; 

Thy  words  are  pure,  and  tried,  and  true; 
To  all  that  trust  thy  heavenly  grace, 

A  buckler  of  defence  art  thou. 
Who  is  a  God  but  thou,  O  Lord  \ 
Who  else  salvation  can  afford  T 

18  'Tis  God  who  girds  my  armour  on, 

And  crowns  my  efforts  with  success; 
Like  the  swift  hind  he  makes  me  run, 

And  sets  me  on  a  lofty  place: 
He  gives  me  strength  to  meet  my  foe, 
And  bend  the  stoutest  iron  bow.* 

19  Yea,  thou  hast  given  me  the  shield 

Of  thy  salvation  for  defence; 
And  I  am  evermore  upheld, 

O  God,  by  thine  Omnipotence  : 
Thy  loving-kindness  made  me  great,-)- 
And  firmly  fixed  my  royal  state. 

20  Yea,  I  pursued  my  enemies, 

And  quickly  seized  them  and  destroyed  ; 
I  wounded  them,  nor  could  they  rise ; 
Low  at  my  feet  they  fell  and  died. 
*  See  note  D,  Ps.  18.  \  See  note  E,  Ps.  18, 


52  PSALMS. 

For  thou  didst  arm  me  for  the  fight, 
And  vanquish  all  these  men  of  might. 

21  And  thou  hast  struck  fear  and  dismay 

Into  the  hearts  of  all  my  foes; 
And  overthrown  the  thick  array 

Of  those  who  hate  me  and  oppose. 
They  cried,  but  there  was  none  to  save; 
To  God,  but  God  no  answer  gave. 

22  Then  did  I  beat  them  small  as  dust, 

Which  the  wind  scattereth  abroad  ; 
And  their  unburied  bodies  cast, 

Like  heaps  of  dirt,  upon  the  road. 
Yea,  thou  hast  Israel's  strife  allayed, 
And  I  am  now  the  heathen's  head. 

23  And  people,  yet  unknown,  shall  bring 

Their  offerings,  when  my  name  they  hear ; 
And  foreign  nations  own  me  king, 

And  yield  submission,  far  and  near. 
The  hostile  tribes  shall  fade  away, 
Or  bow  to  my  resistless  sway. 

24  The  Lord,  my  rock,  for  ever  lives ; 

O  blessed  be  his  name  for  aye  ! 
Exalted  be  the  God  who  gives 

Salvation  in  my  evil  day  ! 
'Tis  He  who  vindicates  my  cause, 
And  bends  the  nations  to  my  laws. 

25  Lord,  thou  art  my  deliverer: 

Yea,  thou  exaltest  me  on  high  ; 
When  foes  assaulted,  thou  wen  near, 

To  save  me  from  my  enemy. 
Among  the  heathen  I'll  proclaim 
My  gratitude,  and  praise  thy  name, 


PSALMS. 

26  God  to  his  king  deliverance  shows, 

Firmly  establishing  his  throne  ; 
His  loving-kindness  he  bestows 

On  David,  his  anointed  one  : 
And  David's  seed,  his  chosen  race, 
Shall  ever  prove  his  saving  grace. 

PSALM  XIX.   ■  L.  M. 

The  glory  of  God  displayed  in  the  works  of  nature, 
and  the  infinitely  superior  excellence  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,    as  a   revelation   of  his   character    and 

will. 

J    HPHE  starry  heavens  above  proclaim 
The  glories  of  their  Maker's  name  ; 
The  shining  firmament  declares 
His  works  to  all  the  universe. 

2  Day  after  day  proclaims  abroad 
The  wisdom  and  the  power  of  God  ; 
Night  after  night  repeats  the  sound, 
And  spreads  th'  intelligence  around. 

3  No  voice  is  heard  amid  their  train  ; 
They  speak  not  with  the  speech  of  men  ; 
But  their  mute  eloquence  extends 

Far  as  the  earth's  remotest  ends. 

4  High  in  the  lofty  firmament, 

He,  for  the  sun,  hath  reared  a  tent; 
Who,  with  a  bridegroom's  joyous  face, 
Like  hero,  gladly  runs  his  race.* 

5  He  rises  in  the  farthest  east, 
And  travels  to  the  farthest  west ; 


See  note  A,  Pa.  19. 
e  2 


54  PSALM-. 

Around  the  heavens  his -chariot's  whirled, 
To  lighten  and  to  warm  the  world.* 

6  The  law  of  God  revealed  to  men, 
Is  perfect  and  converts  from  sin  : 
His  word  is  sure,  and  ne'er  deceives, 
But  wisdom  to  the  simple  gives. 

?   The  statutes  of  the  Lord  are  right, 
And  fill  the  heart  with  great  delight : 
And  the  pure  precepts  of  his  word, 
Enlightening  to  the  eyes  afford. 

8  The  fear  of  God  unfeigned  is  pure, 
And  shall  through  endless  years  endure: 
The  judgments  of  the  Lord  express 
His  truth  and  perfect  righteousness. 

9  More  precious  they  than  heaps  untold 
Of  gold,  yea,  of  the  finest  gold  ; 

Far  sweeter  to  the  taste  they  are 
Than  virgin-honey — sweeter  far  !y 

10  Counsel  and  warning  too  they  give,; 
To  teach  thy  servant  how  to  live; 
And  all  who  keep  them  from  the  Lord, 
Shall  surely  have  a  great  reward. 

1 1  O  who  can  tell  how  oft  he  sins  ! 
From  hidden  sins  do  thou  me  cleanse  ! 
From  wilful  sin,  O  Lord,  restrain, 
Nor  let  it  o'er  thy  servant  reign  !§ 

12  So  shall  I  in  uprightness  stand, 
In  yonder  blest  and  holy  land : 


*  See  note  B,  Ps.  19.  f  See  note  C.  Ps.  19. 

;  See  note  D.  Ps.  19.  §  See  note  E,  Ps.  19. 


PSALMS.  56 

Yea,  justificJ,  O  Lord,  by  thee, 
From  all  my  great  iniquity.* 

13  Lend,  O  my  God,  a  gracious  ear, 

To  these  my  words  of  humble  prayer  ! 
Yea,  hear  the  language  of  my  heart, 
For  thou  my  strength  and  Saviour  art!| 

PSALM   XX.       k  M. 

.?  prayer  for  those  xvho  are  engaged  in  a  really  just 
and  necessary  war. 

1  TEHOVAH  hear  thy  prayer, 

In  thy  distressful  day  ; 
And  let  the  name  of  Jacob's  God 
Be  thy  defence  and  stay  ! 

2  O  let  him  send  thee  help, 

From  his  own  holy  place  ; 
And  strengthen  thee  from  Zion's  hill. 
With  his  reviving  grace! 

3  Thy  sacrifice  and  gifts, 

0  may  he  bear  in  mind ; 

Grant  thee  thine  heart's  wish,  and  fulfil 
Whate'er  thy  thoughts  designed  ! 

4  Of  thv  salvation  we 

Will  sing  with  glad  accord; 

And  we  will  raise  our  standard  in 

Thy  name,  Almighty  Lord. 

5  The  Lord  hear  all  thy  prayers ! 

1  know  the  Lord  will  hear. 
And  save  his  own  anointed  king 

When  mightiest  foe?  are  near. 

•  Bee  ftt4c  F.  P-  -  Bee  not*  O   P^ 


5ti 


6  From  heaven  the  Lord  will  hear, 

And  rescue  him  from  harm, 
And  for  his  safety  and  defence 
Uplift  his  mighty  arm. 

7  Some  trust  in  chariots,  some 

In  horses  trained  to  war; 
Our  trust  is  in  the  Lord  our  God — 
A  nobler  trust  by  far. 

8  For  in  the  field  of  strife 

Their  mightiest  ones  shall  fall ; 
But  we  shall  rise  and  stand  erect, 
And  overcome  them  all. 

9  Jehovah  save  the  king  ! 

And  in  this  evil  day, 
O  hear  thy  people  when  they  call, 
And  answer  when  they  pray. 


1 


PSALM  XXI.       L.  M. 

HPHE  king  shall  joyfully  extol 

Thy  wondrous  power,  O  God  of  might ! 
Thy  saving  grace  shall  fill  his  soul 
With  inexpressible  delight. 

2  Granting  his  every  prayer,  thou  hast, 

With  blessings  rich  and  manifold, 
Anticipated  each  request, 

And  crowned  him  with  a  crown  of  gold. 

3  Yea,  when  he  asked  for  life,  thy  grace 

The  boon  bestowed  most  bounteously, 
And  granted  him  a  length  of  days 
Enduring  as  eternity. 

4  And  thou  his  glory  hast  advanced, 

Through  that  salvation  wrought  by  thee: 


M  ULMI. 

And  thou  hast  mightily  enhanced 
His  honour  and  his  majesty. 

5  Blessed  with  thy  presence  and  thy  love, 

His  happiness  no  end  shall  know  ; 
For,  trusting  in  the  Lord  above, 
He  ne'er  shall  fear  an  earthly  foe. 

6  Thine  hand  shall  reach  thy  fiercest  foes  ; 

And,  doomed  to  perish  by  thy  power, 
As  when  a  fiery  furnace  glows, 

Thy  wrath  shall  burn  them  and  devour. 

7  Yea,  thou  shalt  utterly  efface 

Their  offspring  from  the  realms  of  day  ; 
For,  by  thy  wrath  consumed,  the  race 
That  hate  thee,  soon  shall  melt  away. 

8  Because  they  formed  a  wicked  plot 

Against  thee,  (though  their  schemes  were  vain,) 
Soon  shall  thy  direful  shafts  be  shot, 
And  ruin  seize  their  guilty  train. 

9  Be  thou  exalted  thus,  O  Lord, 

Our  mighty  king,  our  sure  defence  ! 
So  shall  we  sing,  with  glad  accord, 
The  praise  of  thine  omnipotence. 

PSALM  XXII.       L.  M.  &  P.  M. 

1  "\f  Y  God  !  my  God  !  I  cry  to  thee  ; 

Oh  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ! 
Why  hidest  thou  thyself  on  high, 
Psor  listenest  to  my  doleful  cry  ! 

2  I  call  upon  thee  all  the  day, 

But  still  thine  ear  is  turned  away  ; 
I  call  upon  thee  all  the  night, 
O  God,  until  the  morning  light  ! 


58  PSALMS. 

3  But  thou  art  holy;  and  thy  throne 
Eternal  stands,  thou  holy  one! 
Holy  and  just  are  all  thy  ways, 

O  thou,  the  God  of  Israel's  praise  ! 

4  Our  fathers  put  their  trust  in  thee, 
When  in  their  great  perplexity  ; 
When  overwhelmed  with  doubt  and  fear, 
They  cried  to  thee,  and  thou  didst  hear. 

5  But  I — a  helpless  worm — am  left, 
Of  all  kind  sympathy  bereft, 
Reproached,  despised  of  men,  forlorn, 
The  mocker's  jest,  the  people's  scorn. 

6  "  He  trusted  in  the  Lord,"  (they  cry, 
In  mockery  of  my  misery,) 

"  Then  let  the  Lord,  from  heaven  above, 
Rescue  the  object  of  his  love." 

7  But  thou  art  he  who,  from  the  gloom 
And  darkness  of  my  mother's  womb, 
Brought  me  forth  safe,  and  made  me  blest 
With  hope's  bright  visions  on  the  breast. 

8  Yea,  I  was  cast — -a  helpless  load — 
Even  from  my  birth,  on  thee,  my  God ; 
Forsake  me  not  when  trouble's  near, 
And  there  is  no  deliverer. 

9  Strong  bulls,  of  Bashan's  fiercest  breed, 
Beset  my  path,  where'er  I  tread  ; 
They  gape  upon  me  night  and  day, 
Like  lions  roaring  for  their  prey. 

10  Like  water,  spilt  upon  the  ground, 

My  blood  flows  forth  from  many  a  wound, 
And  every  bone  incessant  aches, 
My  heart  within  me  melts  like  wax. 


1  1    Like  potsherd  lying  on  the  road, 
So  dried  up  is  my  frame,  O  God  ! 
My  tongue  cleaves  to  my  jaws ;  my  breath 
Fails  me  as  in  the  throes  of  death. 

12  For  dogs  surround  me  and  beset; 
The  wicked  catch  me  in  their  net; 
With  deadly  malice  fired,  they  meet, 
And  pierce  my  very  hands  arifd  feet. 

13  My  flesh  consumed  with  grief  and  pain, 
My  bones  stare  through  my  shrivelled  skin  : 
They  share  my  clothes,  and  for  my  coat 
They  impiously  cast  the  lot. 

14  But  do  not  thou  forsake  me,  Lord  ! 
Be  my  deliverer  from  the  sword  ; 
Rescue  me  from  the  dog's  fierce  jaws, 
And  from  the  ravening  lion's  paws. 

15  Yea,  in  my  dark  and  evil  hour, 

O  shield  me  from  the  wicked's  power; 
Hear  me,  and  rescue  from  the  horns 
Even  of  the  untamed  unicorns. 

16  So  shall  I  to  thy  saints  declare 
How  great  thy  grace  and  glory  are, 
And  in  the  full  assembly  raise 
This  anthem  of  sincerest  praise. 

PART  II. 

17  Praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  that  tear  him  ; 

Praise  him,  Jacob's  chosen  race  ; 

Israel's  sons,  that  still  are  near  him, 

Reverence,  while  ye  seek  his  face. 

18  To  the  sorrows  of  th'  afflicted 

He  hath  lent  a  willing  ear ; 


60  PSALMS. 

Neither  hath  he  e'er  rejected 
Any  humble  suppliant's  prayer. 

19  Therefore,  in  the  congregation, 

I  will  praise  thee  all  the  day, 
And  before  the  generation 

Of  thy  saints  my  vows  I'll  pay. 

20  All  the  meek  shall  eat  before  thee, 

And  be  tilled  abundantly  ; 
Gladly  shall  thy  saints  adore  thee; 
"  Live,  ye  saints,  eternally.'' 

21  All  the  earth's  remotest  nations 

Grateful  to  the  Lord  shall  bow  ;. 
All  their  tribes  and  generations 
Shall  a  willing  homage  do. 

22  For  the  kingdom  appertaineth 

To  the  Lord  our  God  alone ; 
Over  all  the  earth  he  reigneth  ; 
Firm  and  steadfast  is  his  throne. 

23  Rich  and  poor  shall  all  adore  him  ; 

They  who  share  the  large  supply 
Earth  provides,  shall  bow  before  him  ; 
They  who  pine  in  poverty. 

24  Each  succeeding  generation 

Joyfully  shall  serve  the  Lord  ; 
Every  age  and  every  nation 

Their  glad  homage  shall  afford. 

25  Each  successively  declaring 

To  the  next  succeeding  race, 

All  his  acts,  his  truth  unerring, 

And  this  wonder  of  his  grace. 


-.1 


PSALM  XXIil.'        P.  M. 
^/_  {Paraphrased.) 

1  rVHE  Lord  is  my  shepherd  :  his  bounty  provides 

Whatever  is  needful,  whatever  is  best. 
Where  the  pastures  are  green  and  the  stream  softly 
slides, 
He  leads  me,  and  feeds  me,^and  makes  me  to  rest. 

2  In  sickness  he  heals  me  ;  when  buried  in  sin, 

He  guides  to  the  paths  of  uprightness  and  peace, 
And  makes  them  my  choice  and  my  pursuit  again, 
By  the  might  of  his  power,  to  the  praise  of  his 
grace. 

3  I  will  traverse  the  vale  of  the  shadow  of  death, 

Nor  fear  any  evil,  nor  ever  despair  ; 
For  thou  wilt  uphold  me  in  that  gloomy  path, 
Thy  rod   and   thy  staff,  they   shall  comfort   me 
there. 

4  Thy  bounty  affords  me  my  daily  supply, 

In  the  presence  of  wrathful  and  merciless  foes  ; 
My  head  thou  anointest  with  gladness  and  joy. 
And   with   blessings   unnumbered   my  cup  over- 
flows. 

5  O  surely  thy  goodness  and  mercy  and  love 

Shall  follow  me  still  till  my  life's  latest  day  ; 
And  thy  glorious  temp'e,  in  Zion  above, 
O  God,  be  my  blest  habitation  for  aye. 

*  The  old  metrical  version   of  this  psalm  is  so  e>cpedingfy 
beautiful,  that  I  have  not  attempted  a  translation  of  it.  properly 


62  PSALMS. 

PSALM  XXIV.       S.  M. 

1  'FO  God  the  earth  belongs  ; 

His  are  the  land  and  sea, 
With  all  their  tribes  and  all  their  tongues, 
A  countless  progeny.. 

2  For  his  Almighty  hand 

Fixed  it  upon  the  flood  ; 
And  steadfast,  at  his  high  command, 
The  wondrous  fabric  stood. 

3  Who  shall  ascend  the  place 

Where  God  Almighty  dwells? 
Or  who  shall  stand,  of  mortal  race, 
On  Zion's  holy  hills  1 

4  The  man  whose  hands  are  clean, 

The  man  whose  heart  is  pure, 
Whose  soul  abhors  deceit  and  sin, 
Whose  word  and  oath  are  sure. 

5  Him  will  the  Lord  approve; 

Him  will  the  Saviour  bless 
With  the  choice  tokens  of  his  love, 
The  riches  of  his  grace. 

6  This  is  the  chosen  race 

Who  tread  the  heavenly  road, 
And  with  acceptance  seek  thy  face, 
O  Jacob's  mighty  God  ! 

7  Fly  open,  O  ye  gates  ! 

Ye  everlasting  doors, 
Open  !   the  king  of  glory  waits 
To  tread  the  heavenly  floors. 

8  Who  i&  this  glorious  king  ! 

And  whence  his  lofty  fame  ? 


F8ALX8. 

TV  omnipotent,  th'  all-conquering 
Jehovah  is  his  name. 

9  Fly  open  !  O  ye  gates, 
Ye  everlasting  doors, 
Open!   the  king  of  glory  waits 
To  tread  the  heavenly  floors, 

10   Who  is  this  glorious  king? 
It  is  the  Lord  most  high  ; 
His  glory  let  all  creatures  sing, 
On  earth  or  in  the  sky. 

,  PSALM  XXV.       S.  M. 

1  HPO  thee  I  lift  my  soul; 

O  Lord,  I  trust  in  thee ; 
O  let  me  not  he  put  to  shame 
Before  my  enemy. 

2  Let  none  he  put  to  shame 

That  put  their  trust  in  thee; 
But  let  confusion  fall  on  all 
That  sin  presumptuously. 

3  Show  me  thy  paths,  O  Lord, 

Teach  me  thy  blessed  ways ; 
Instruct  and  lead  me  in  thy  truth, 
Through  thine  abounding  grace. 

4  For  thou  my  Saviour  art, 

And  thou  wilt  help  afford; 
Therefore  with  patience  will  I  wait 
All  day  upon  the  Lord. 

5  Thy  mercies  and  thy  love, 

O  Lord,  recall  to  mind  ; 
For  thou  hast  been  from  endless  years 
All  merciful  and  kind. 


64  PSALMS. 

G  My  sins  and  faults  of  youth 
Do  thou,  O  Lord,  forget; 
And  in  thy  mercy  think  on  me, 
And  in  thy  goodness  great. 

7  The  Lord  is  just  and  good  ; 

Wand'rers  his  ways  shall  know; 
The  humble  he  will  rightly  guide, 
And  his  procedure  show. 

8  Mercy  and  truth,  O  Lord, 

Distinguish  all  thy  ways, 
To  those  that  keep  thy  covenant, 
And  trust  thy  promises. 

9  Lord,  for  thine  own  name's  sake, 

I  humbly  thee  entreat 
To  pardon  mine  iniquity, 
For  it  is  very  great. 

10  The  man  that  fears  the  Lord, 

Him  will  Jehovah  show 
The  fittest  path  for  him  to  choose 
Through  all  his  life  below. 

11  Peaceful  shall  be  his  life 

From  youth  to  latest  age; 
His  offspring  shall  possess  the  land 
As  their  rich  heritage. 

12  To  them  that  fear  the  Lord 

His  mysteries  he  will  show, 
And  they  his  covenant  of  peace 
Increasingly  shall  know. 

13  Mine  eyes  are  ever  turned, 

O  Lord,  ray  God,  to  thee; 
For  surely  from  the  tempter's  snares 
Thou  wilt  deliver  me. 


PSALMS.  9fi 

14  O  turn  thy  face  to  me, 

In  mercy,  Lord,  return  ; 
For  I  am  compassed  round  with  woes, 
Afflicted  and  forlorn. 

15  My  troubles  are  increased, 

My  heart  consumes  with  grief: 
O  Lord,  let  thine  almighty  hand 
Benignly  bring  relief.         * 

16  Look  on  ray  deep  distress, 

And  my  consuming  pains; 
And  let  thy  mercy  interpose 
To  pardon  all  my  sins. 

17  Consider,  Lord,  how  strong 

And  numerous  are  my  foes, 
And  with  what  deadly  enmity 
They  hate  me  and  oppose. 

18  O,  save  me  from  their  power, 

Nor  put  my  soul  to  shame ; 
For  I  confide  in  thee ;  my  hope 
Is  in  thy  holy  name. 

19  Preserve  me,  O  my  God, 

For  still  I  wait  on  thee ; 
Thou  know'st  th'  uprightness  of  my  heart, 
And  mine  integrity. 

20  Nor  let  my  soul  alone 

Be  thy  peculiar  care, 
But  let  all  Israel  be  redeemed, 
And  thy  salvation  share. 

PSALM  XXVI.       L.  M. 

1   TIE  thou  my  judge,  O  Lord,  for  I 
Have  walked  in  mine  integrity  ; 


»)<)  PSALMS. 

On  thee,  O  Lord,  have  I  relied, 
Therefore  my  footsteps  shall  not  slide. 

2  Search  me  and  try  my  inward  part, 
My  understanding  and  my  heart; 

For  sure  thy  grace  and  truth  have  been 
My  study  and  my  guard  from  sin. 

3  With  guileful  men  I  would  not  sit. 
Nor  with  the  artful  hypocrite  : 

I  hate  the  converse  of  profane 
And  wicked  and  malicious  men. 

4  My  hands  I  will  devoutly  cleanse 
In  unpolluted  innocence  ; 

So  shall  I  to  thine  altar  go, 

Thy  praise  to  sing,  thy  grace  to  show. 

5  O  I  do  love  the  house  right  well 

In  which  thou  deignest,  Lord,  to  dwell  ; 
The  holy  place  where  thy  divine 
And  uncreated  glories  shine. * 

6  Assign  me  not  my  place,  0  God, 
With  wicked  men  and  men  of  blood  ; 
Whose  hearts  and  actions  are  replete 
With  mischief,  bribery,  and  deceit. 

7  For  I  will  walk  in  righteousness; 
O  grant  me  thy  redeeming  grace. 
Henceforth,  established  by  thy  power, 
I'll  bless  the  Lord  for  evermore. 

PSALM  XXVII.       C.  M. 

1   HPHE  Lord's  my  Saviour  and  my  light, 
Why  should  I  be  afraid  ? 

*  Green. 


MALMS.  67 


The  Lord's  my  guardian,  why  should  I 
A  feeble  mortal  dread  I 

2  When  my  relentless  enemies 

(Ungodly  persons  all) 
Assemble  to  devour  me  quite. 
They  stumble  and  they  fall. 

3  Should  hostile  armies  camp  around, 

I  will  not  be  afraid  ; 
Should  battle  rage  around  me,  then 
Til  trust  Jehovah's  aid. 

4  This  only  would  I  ask  of  God, 

And  earnestly  implore, 
That  I  might  have  my  fixed  abode 
In  God's  house  evermore. 

5  There  to  behold,  with  raptured  eyes, 

Jehovah's  gracious  face, 
And  there  to  learn  his  blessed  will 
Wuhin  his  holy  place/ 

0  For  he  shall  hide  me  in  his  tent 
In  dark  and  evil  days : 
Yea,  he  shall  hide  me  safely  there, 
And  on  a  rock  me  raise. 

7  So  shall  I  be  exalted  high 
Above  my  foes  around, 
And  praise  the  Lord  with  shouts  of  joy 
L'ntil  his  courts  resound. 

S  Lord,  hear  me  when  I  lift  my  voice 
In  sorrowful  complaints; 
And  lend  a  gracious  ear  to  me. 
Thou  glorious  king  of  saints. 


68 


PSALMS. 


9  When  thou  hast  said,  u  Seek  ye  rny  face." 

To  Israel's  favoured  race, 
Right  gladly  did  my  soul  reply, 
"Lord,  I  will  seek  thy  face." 

10  Hide  not  thy  face  from  me,  O  God, 

Nor  turn  in  wrath  away: 
Full  often  bast  ihou  been  my  help 
In  my  distressful  day. 

11  Then  leave  me  not,  I  pray  thee,  now, 

All  desolate  to  mourn  ; 
My  God,  my  Saviour,  leave  me  not 
Forsaken  and  forlorn. 

12  Yea,  though  my  friends  should  all  forsake, 

And  both  my  parents  dear, 
God  would  uphold  me,  and  his  grace 
My  downcast  spirit  cheer. 

13  Teach  me  thy  ways,  O  Lord,  and  guide 

My  wand'ring  steps  aright, 

Because  of  enemies  whom  my  fall 

Or  stumbling  would  delight. 

14  Give  me  not  over  to  their  power, 

Nor  to  their  heart's  desire ; 
For  false  malignant  witnesses 
Against  my  coul  conspire. 

15  But  still  I  hope  and  trust,  O  God, 

That  I  shall  taste  and  see 
Thy  goodness  in  the  blissful  land 
Of  immortality.* 

16  Wait  on  the  Lord  ;  quit  you  like  men  ; 

And  he  will  strength  afford, 

*  Booihroyd,  Septuagint,  Clialdee  paraphrase. 


PSALMS.  69 


Sufficient  for  your  time  of  need  : 
Wait  ye  upon  the  Lord. 

PSALM  XXVIII.       C.  M. 

1  r\  LORD,  my  Rock,  to  thee  I  cry ; 

Hear,  and  in  mercy  save  ; 
Else  I  shall  speedily  be  like 
The  tenants  of  the  grave.   * 

2  Yea,  when  I  cry  to  thee,  O  Lord, 

My  supplications  hear ; 
When  to  thy  mercy-seat  I  lift 
My  hands  in  earnest  prayer. 

3  Preserve  me  from  the  wicked's  doom 

And  from  their  evil  arts; 
For  peace  is  ever  on  their  tongue, 
But  mischief  in  their  hearts. 

4  But  thou  wilt  recompense  their  deeds, 

And  righteously  repay 
Their  malice  and  their  wicked  works 
In  the  great  judgment  day. 

5  God  shall  destroy  and  not  upbuild 

Those  who  will  not  regard, 
Nor  seek  to  understand  the  works 
And  dealings  of  the  Lord. 

6  But  blessed  be  the  Lord,  for  he 

Hath  listened  to  my  voice ; 
Jehovah  is  my  strength  and  shield  ; 
On  him  my  soul  relies. 

7  I  trusted  in  the  Lord  and  found 

Help  in  my  evil  days : 
Therefore  my  heart  exults  with  joy. 
And  I  will  sing  his  praise. 


70 


8  Let  Israel  in  the  Lord  rejoice ; 

Their  strength  is  God  alone ; 
He  is  the  safety  and  the  strength 
Of  his  anointed  one. 

9  O,  save  thy  people,  God  of  might, 

And  bless  thine  herilage; 
Feed  and  uphold  them,  and  exalt 
Through  each  succeeding  age. 

PSALM  XXIX.       P.  If, 

1  V"E  princes  and  kings,  with  joyful  accord, 

All  glory  and  might  ascribe  to  the  Lord  ; 
And  while  the  loud  anthem  ye  rightfully  raise, 
Be  comely  and  holy  the  voice  of  your  praise. 

2  God's  voice  on  the  sea  is  powerful  and  strong  ; 
Majestic  it  swells  the  billows  along. 

The  voice  of  Jehovah  in  thunder  forth  breaks; 
He  sits  on  the  deep  and  its  echoes  awakes. 

3  The  voice  of  the  Lord  uproots  and  upbreaks 
The  cedars  that  grow  on  Lebanon's  peaks  ; 
Yea,  God  makes  Libanus  and  Sirion,  uptorn,. 
To  leap  like  a  calf  or  a  young  unicorn. 

4  The  lightnings  of  heaven  are  scattered  abroad 
And  flash  at  the  voice  of  Israel's  God  ; 

"When  God  speaks  in  anger  the  wilderness  shakes, 
The  desert  of  Kadesh  all  fearfully  quakes. 

5  The  forests  are  stript;  the  oaks  in  the  wood, 
Laid  prostrate,  attest  the  voice  of  our  God. 
Meanwhile  in  his  temple  his  people  record 
With  gladness  the  glory  and  might  of  the  Lord.* 

*  Bp.  H'  rsley  and  Lowth 


71 


1 


God  sils  on  the  flood  ;  his  kingdom  shall  never 
Be  shaken  for  aye  :  he  reigneth  forever. 
Jehovah  will  strengthen  his  people,  and  bless 
The  seed  of  his  saints  with  unchangeable  peace. 

PSALM  XXX.       7s. 

pRAISE  to  thee,  O  Lord,  mv  God, 

Shall  my  grateful  tongue  employ  ; 
Thou  hast  raised  me  up  from  death, 
Nor  hast  filled  my  foes  with  joy. 

2  O  my  God,  I  cried  to  thee ; 

Thou  didst  heal  me,  thou  didst  save: 
Yea,  thou  hast  my  fainting  frame 
Rescued  from  the  opening  grave. 

3  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  our  God, 

Ye,  his  saints,  that  know  his  grace, 
And  with  grateful  hearts  record 
His  unspotted  holiness. 

4  One  short  moment  lasts  his  wrath, 

But  his  love  through  life  extends  ; 
Grief  may  cloud  the  night ;  the  morn 
Brings  a  joy  that  never  ends. 

5  In  my  prosperous  state  I  said, 

"  Change  or  grief  I  ne'er  shall  know  ;" 
For  thy  favour  made  me  strong, 

Nor  had  sickness  brought  me  low.* 

6  But  when  thou  didst  hide  thy  face 

All  was  trouble,  sorrows  care; 
Then  I  cried,  O  Lord,  to  thee, 
And  to  God  addressed  my  prayer 

*  Howbi^ant 


72  PSALMS: 

7  u  What  avails  my  blood  to  thee, 

If  I  sink  in  death,  0  Lord  1 
Shall  the  grave  proclaim  thy  praise, 
Or  thy  faithfulness  record. 

8  Hear  me,  O  Jehovah,  hear  ! 

And  in  thy  great  mercy  save ; 
Thou  alone  canst  send  relief, 

Save  me  from  the  opening  grave  V9 

9  Then  to  gladness  was  my  grief 

Turned  by  thee,  O  God,  most  high, 
And  my  garb  of  sorrow  changed 
Into  robes  of  lively  joy. 

10  Therefore  shall  it  ever  be 

My  chief  glory  still  to  sing 
Grateful  praise  for  aye  to  thee, 
O  my  saviour  and  my  king  ! 

PSALM  XXXI.       S.  M. 

1  Q  LORD,  I  trust  in  thee  ; 

From  sorrow  and  from  shame 
Preserve  me  in  thy  righteousness, 
For  holy  is  thy  name. 

2  In  mercy  hear  my  prayer 

And  succour  me  with  speed  : 
Be  thou  my  strong  rock  and  defence 
In  this  my  utmost  need. 

3  Thou  art  my  rock  and  fort ; 

O,  then,  when  ills  betide, 
Conduct  me  gently  by  thy  grace 
And  mercifully  guide. 

4  Thou  only  art  my  strength  : 

Rescue  me  from  the  net 


73 


The  wicked  have  with  secret  art 
Malevolently  set. 

5  Jehovah,  God  of  truth, 

Redeemed  by  thee  alone, 

To  thee  ray  spirit  I  commit. 

Thou  high  and  holy  one! 

6  Those  that  on  idols  place      , 

Their  hope  and  their  regard 
Thou  hatest ;  but  my  hope  and  trust 
Are  ever  in  the  Lord.* 

7  Greatly  will  I  rejoice 

In  thine  abounding  grace  ; 
For  thou  hast  kindly  thought  on  me 
In  mine  adversities  ; 

S  Nor  suffered  me  to  fall, 
A  victim  to  my  foes  ; 
But  given  me  life  and  liberty, 
Despite  all  that  oppose. 

9  Be#gracious,  Lord,  to  me, 
For  I  am  in  distress; 
Mine  eye  with  fretting  wastes,  and  griefs 
My  sinking  frame  oppress. 

10  My  days  and  years  are  spent 

In  sorrow  and  in  gToans  ; 
My  suffering  wears  my  strength  away 
And  wastes  my  very  bones.-j- 

1 1  Reproached  by  all  my  foes, 

Viewed  by  my  friends  with  dread, 
As  soon  as  they  have  seen  my  face 
Afar  off,  they  have  fled. 

*  Lcwth.  |  Green 


74  PSALM*. 

12  Like  one  long  dead  am  I, 

By  all  the  world  forgot  ; 
Or  like  a  potsherd  in  the  mire, 
Not  worth  a  passing  thought. 

13  Yea,  I  have  heard  the  threats 

Of  men  of  power  and  might, 
While  in  dark  plots  against  my  life 
They  secretly  unite.* 

14  But,  Lord*  I  hope  in  thee, 

For  thou  my  Saviour  art; 
Yea,  when  I  said  "  thou  art  my  God,'' 
The  thought  revived  my  heart, 

15  My  state  in  life  and  death 

Is  wholly  in  thy  hand  't 
Save  me  from  all  my  enemies, 
And  their  fierce  rage  withstand. 

16  Shine  on  me  with  the  light 

Of  thy  benignant  face, 
And  grant  me  thy  salvation's  joys 
Through  thine  abounding  grace. 

17  Thy  suppliant,  Lord,  from  shame 

In  thy  great  mercy  save  ; 

But  let  the  wicked  be  ashamed 

And  silent  in  the  grave. 

18  Let  proud  and  scornful  liars, 

That  spread  foul  calumnies 
Against  the  just,  be  overwhelmed 
In  silence  and  disgrace. 

19  How  passing  rich  the  joys 

Thou  for  thy  saints  hast  stored  ! 

*  Boothroyd. 


P8A1  75 

What  great  things  thou  hast  done  tor  them 
On  earth,  Almighty  Lord  ! 

MO  Thy  presence,  like  a  tent. 

Shall  wrap  them  round  and  hide  ; 
Under  its  covert  they  shall  dweli 
Secure  from  strife  and  pride. 

21    0  blessed  be  the  Lord  * 

For  his  transcendent  grace, 
Vouchsafed  to  me,  as  in  a  strong 
And  well-defended  place. 

~'2  For  though  in  fear  I  said 

u  I  am  cut  oft"  from  thee  ;" 
Still  thou  didst  hear  my  humble  prayer 
And  didst  deliver  me. 

23   O  love  the  Lord;  all  ye, 

His  saints,  love  ye  the  Lord: 
The  Lord  upholds  his  saints,  but  gives 
The  proud  their  full  reward. 

84   Courage  !  all  ye  that  place 
Reliance  in  the  Lord  : 
For  He  will  cheer  your  drooping  hearts, 
And  victory  afford. 

PSALM   XXXIL         7s. 

1  IDLEST  is  he  in  earth  or  heaven, 

Henceforth  and  for  evermore, 

Whose  transgression  is  forgiven. 

And  whose  sin  is  covered  o'er. 

2  Blest  is  he  to  whom  the  Lord 

Charges  not  iniquity  ; 
Who  in  spirit  and  in  word 
Cherishes  sinceritv. 


76  PSALMS. 

3  While  I  sinned  nor  owned  my  sin,* 

All  my  strength  consumed  away, 
Through  my  sorrow  and  my  pain, 
And  my  crying  all  the  day. 

4  For  all  heavily  thy  hand 

Pressed  upon  me  day  and  night, 
'Till  my  parched  frame  seemed  like  land 
Wasted  by  the  summer's  blight. 

5  Then  acknowledged  I  my  sin, 

And  confessed  it  all  to  Thee — 
All  that  I  had  done  and  been — 
Hiding  no  iniquity. 

6  "  To  the  Lord  and  not  to  men, 

I'll  confess  my  sins,"  said  I ; 
Freely  didst  thou  pardon  then 
All  my  great  iniquity. 

7  Therefore  shall  thy  people  pray 

Unto  thee  when  ills  surround ; 
In  that  acceptable  day 

Shall  thy  favour  still  be  found.f 

8  Surely  when  the  raging  flood 

Overwhelms  a  sinful  race, 
They  shall  stand  secure;  for  God 
Is  their  rock  and  hiding  place. 

9  O  thou  art  my  hiding  place  ! 

Be  my  enemies  e'er  so  strong  ; 
Thou,  in  my  distressful  days, 

Mak'st  me  hear  this  gladdening  song. 

10  "  I  will  thine  instructor  be, 

And  thy  path  of  duty  show; 

*  Green.  +  Boothrovd. 


. 


PSALMS.  77 

1  will  keep  mine  eye  on  thee, 
All  the  way  that  thou  shalt  go.* 

1  I   Be  not  like  the  horse  or  mule. 

When  thy  path  of  duty's  plain  ; 
Perverse,  like  the  senseless  fool, 
Governed  but  by  curb  and  rein." 

12  Endless  sorrows  shall  abound 

To  the  sinful  hardened  rtice  ; 
Mercy  shall  encompass  round 
All  who  trust  Jehovah's  grace. 

13  Triumph  therefore  in  the  Lord, 

O  ye  righteous,  and  rejoice; 
Shout,  and  let  your  hearts  accord 
With  your  loud  triumphant  voice. 

PSALM  XXXIII.       7s. 

1     I  OYFUL  to  your  heavenly  king, 
O  ye  saints,  your  anthems  raise  ; 
For  'tis  sweet  for  saints  to  sing 
Their  Almighty  Maker's  praise. 

•J   Sing  a  new  song  to  the  Lord  ; 

Let  sweet  music  wake  your  jo\  s  j 
Let  the  harp  and  lute  accord 
With  the  praises  of  your  voice. 

3  For  Jehovah's  word  is  right, 

All  his  acts  are  faithful  found  ; 
Righteousness  is  his  delight ; 

Th'  earth  is  with  his  goodness  crowned. 

4  At  the  mandate  of  the  Lord, 

Sun  and  moon  appeared  on  high  ; 

•  Urceu 

G    2 


7^  PSALMS. 

At  Jehovah's  mighty  word, 

Countless  stars  adorned  the  sky. 

5  All  the  waters  of  the  seas, 

As  in  cisterns,  fast  he  keeps; 
And  in  his  vast  treasuries 

Stores  the  ocean's  mighty  deeps.* 

6  Let  all  nations  of  the  earth 

Fear  and  dread  th'  Almighty  God  ; 
At  his  word,  worlds  sprung  to  birth; 
He  commanded;  firm  they  stood. 

7  God  will  frustrate  and  subvert 

All  the  heathen's  plans  and  way  ; 
But  the  purpose  of  his  heart, 

Firm  and  changeless  stands  for  aye. 

8  Blessed  is  the  honoured  place 

Where  Jehovah  reigns  alone  ; 
Blessed  is  the  favoured  race 
He  hath  chosen  for  his  own. 

9  From  his  heavenly  dwelling  place, 

God  looks  down  upon  the  earth  ; 
His  all- seeing  eye  surveys 
All  its  tribes  of  every  birth. 

10  He  who,  in  his  wondrous  plan, 

Formed  the  hearts  of  all  mankind, 
Weighs  the  works  of  every  man, 
Scans  the  thoughts  of  every  mind. 

11  Armies  cannot  save  a  king, 

Nor  a  hero  warlike  force  ; 
'Tis  a  vain  and  foolish  thing 
Trusting  to  a  fleet  war-horse. 

*  Vatablus:  Bps.  Hare,  Seeker,  Louth. 


PSALMS  79 


12  Lo  !   ihe  Lord's  all-seeing  c\< 

Is  on  all  that  seek  his  face ; 
All  that  patiently  rely 

On  his  mercy  and  his  grace. 

13  To  deliver  them  from  death, 

When  their  foes  would  overpower  ; 
To  preserve  their  life  and  breath 
Even  in  famine's  dreary  hour. 

14  Patiently  our  spirits  wait, 

'Till  Jehovah  be  revealed, 
In  his  power  and  glory  great, 
As  our  Helper  and  our  Shield. 

I  5    We  have  trusted  in  his  name 
In  our  dark  and  evil  days; 
We  shall  yet  rejoice  in  Him 
For  his  goodness  and  his  grace. 

16   0  may  we,  all-gracious  Lord, 

With  thy  mercy  still  be  blest, 
Foi  in  thine  all-faithful  word, 
We  will  hope,  and  we  will  rest. 

PSALM  XXXIV.       C.  M. 

1  TN  all  the  changes  of  my  life, 

In  dark  or  joyous  days, 
O,  I  will  magnify  the  Lord, 
And  ever  sing  His  praise.* 

2  In  God's  great  name  my  soul  shall  still 

With  confidence  exult: 
The  meek  shall^hear  it,  and  rejoice 
To  hear  the  glad  result. 

*  Horsley. 


30 


3  0  magnify  the  Lord  with  me. 

And  His  great  grace  extol  : 
I  sought  the  Lord  ;  he  heard  my  prayer, 
And  saved  my  trembling  soul. 

4  Look  ye  to  Him  alone,  and  light 

In  darkness  shall  arise: 
He  will  preserve  your  souls  from  shame, 
From  bitter  tears  your  eyes.* 

5  When  the  afflicted  cried  to  God 

In  trouble  and  in  grief; 
Jehovah  heard  his  cry,  and  gave 
Effectual  relief.  | 

6  Behold  !   the  angel  of  the  Lord 

Encamps  around  the  just, 
To  grant  deliverances  to  all 
That  in  Jehovah  trust. 

7  O  taste,  and  ye  shall  then  perceive 

The  goodness  of  the  Lord  : 
Blest  is  the  man  that  puts  his  trust 
In  his  all-faithful  word. 

S  Fear  ye  the  Lord,  O  ye  his  saints  ! 
For  want  shall  ne'er  assail 
The  man  that  fears  the  Lord,  whate'er 
Calamities  prevail. 

9  Hunger  and  famine  may  distress 
The  ravening  lion's  brood  ; 
But  they  that  seek  the  living  God 
Shall  not  want  any  good. 

10  Ye  that  are  young,  come  near  to  me, 
And  hearken  to  my  word, 

*  Horsley.  -  Gr< 


And  I  will  teach  your  youthful  hearts 
To  fear  and  serve  the  Lord. 

I  1    Who  is  the  mortal  that  desires 
Long  life  and  happy  days  I 
Let  slander  ne'er  pollute  thy  tongue, 
ZS'or  guileful  arts  thy  ways. 

12  Shun  every  evil  word  and  work, 

And  practise  what  is  righ?; 
And  follow  peace  with  all  mankind, 
With  all  thy  heart  and  might. 

13  On  righteous  men  Jehovah  bends 

A  favourable  eye ; 
And  when  distressed,  his  gracious  ear 
Is  open  to  their  cry. 

14  But  on  all  wicked  men  he  looks 

In  frowning  majesty, 
To  sweep  for  ever  from  the  earth 
Their  name  and  memory. 

15  When  cares  and  sorrows  gathering  round 

Their  sinking  souls  o^ 
The  righteous  cry  to  God  ;  He  hears, 
And  s.tves  from  their  distress. 

16  To  those  that  are  of  broken  heart, 

The  Lord  is  ever  nigh  ; 
The  contrite  spirit  he  revives, 
And  saves  eternally. 

Mictions  manifold  and  great, 
The  righteous  man  befal ; 
But  God  upholds  him,  and  at  length 
Delivers  fiom  them  all. 

18  His  very  bones  Jehovah  keeps 
Unbroken,  safe  and  sound. 


82  PSALMS. 

Whatever  perils  may  assail, 
Or  compass  him  around. 

19  The  wicked,  through  their  wicked  arts, 

Are  into  ruin  cast, 
And  they  that  hate  the  just  shall  be 
Most  desolate  at  last. 

20  All  those  that  serve  Him  will  the  Lord 

Redeem  and  still  defend  ; 
And  none  of  those  that  trust  in  Him 
Shall  perish  in  the  end. 

PSALM  XXXV.       S.  M. 

1  T3LEAD  thou  my  cause,  O  Lord, 

With  them  that  strive  with  me, 
And  rouse  thyself  to  fight  against 
My  wrathful  enemy. 

2  With  shield  and  buckler  armed, 

For  my  defence  appear  ; 
Arrest  my  enemies  in  their  course 
With  thy  resistless  spear. 

3  And  say  un(o  my  soul, 

Oppressed  with  fears  and  grief, 
"  I  am  thy  Saviour,  and  will  give 
Effectual  relief." 

4  Let  my  malignant  foes 

Be  overwhelmed  with  shame ; 
Let  consternation  and  defeat 
Attend  their  every  aim. 

5  Let  th'  angel  of  the  Lord 

Pursue  them  from  behind ; 
Yea  !  let  them  be  like  the  light  chaff 
Before  the  driving  wind  ! 


MAUU 

6  Let  darkness  cloud  their  path, 

And  slippery  be  their  way, 
And  let  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
Pursue  them  night  and  day. 

7  For  unprovoked  by  me, 

They  spread  their  secret  snare 
To  take  my  life,  and  pitfalls  deep 
Maliciously  prepare. 

8  Let  dire  destruction  fall 

T'pon  them  suddenly  ; 
And  let  them  perish  in  the  snare 
They  laid  to  ruin  mc. 

9  So  shall  my  grateful  soul 

Rejoice  in  thee,  my  God, 
While  the  deliverance  wrought  by  thee 
Shall  make  my  heart  right  glad. 

10  My  very  bones  shall 

"  Lord,  who  is  like  to  Thee, 
Who  sett'st  the  poor  and  helpless  one 
From  his  strong  spoiler  free. 

1 1  False  witnesses  conspired 

Against  my  peace;   and  laid 
Things  to  my  charge  I  knew  not,  and 
My  good  with  ill  repaid. 

12  For  oft  when  they  were  sick, 

In  sorrow's  garb  arrayed, 
And  humbly  fasting,  for  their  health, 
L'nseen,  I  bowed  and  prayed.* 

13  Yea,  I  demeaned  myself, 

Even  as  their  friend  or  brother; 

♦Vatablu* 


84  PSALMS. 

I  stooped,  all  sad  and  sorrowful, 
Like  an  afflicted  mother.* 

14  But  they  tejoiced  in  crowds 

At  mine  adversity ; 
Yea,  slanderers  whom  I  did  not  know 
Banded  to  ruin  me.f 

15  Taunting  with  cutting  scoffs, 

And  ceaseless  impious  jests, 
They  gnashed  upon  me  with  their  teeth, 
When  revelling  at  their  feasls.± 

16  How  long  wilt  thou  defer, 

O  Lord,  to  plead  my  cause  1 

From  ruin  save  thy  helpless  one, 

Save  from  the  lion's  jaws.§ 

17  So  shall  I  give  thee  thanks, 

Amid  th'  assembled  throng  ; 

Where  congregated  people  meet, 

Thy  praise  shall  be  my  song. 

18  Let  not  my  enemies 

Insult  me  in  their  pride  ; 
Nor  those  that  hate  me  wrongfully 
My  fallen  state  deride. 

19  For  still  to  peace  averse, 

They  artfully  devise, 
Against  the  peacefully  disposed 
Malicious  calumnies. 

20  Yea,  with  unblushing  face, 

They  vent  their  slanderous  lies, 
And  say,  u  Aha!  Aha!  'tis  true  ; 
We  saw  it  with  our  eyes." 

*  Dr.  A.  Clarke.  f  Green.  J  Green.  $  Green. 


8f> 


21  Lord  !   thou  hast  seen  it  all ; 

Thou  know'st  their  deadly  hate  ; 
Speak  then  for  me,  and  show  thyself 
My  help,  my  Advocate. 

22  Arouse  thyself  at  length, 

And  to  my  judgment  wake; 
My  God  !   my  Lord  !   do  thou  my  cause 
Benignly  undertake. 

23  Judge  me,  O  Lord,  my  God, 

In  truth  and  righteousness; 
Nor  let  my  enemies  their  joy 
Triumphantly  express. 

24  Nor  let  them  realize 

The  object  of  their  hope  ; 
Or  say,  "  'Tis  just  as  we  desired  ; 
Lo!   he  is  swallowed  up." 

25  Confounded  and  ashamed 

Be  my  proud  enemies  ; 
Dishonour  seize  all  that  rejoice 
At  my  calamities. 

26  But  let  loud  shouts  of  joy 

And  triumph  still  attend 
All  those  that  love  my  righteous  cause, 
And  zealously  befriend. 

27  Yea,  let  them  ever  say, 

"  The  Lord  be  magnified, 
Who  seeks  the  welfare  of  his  saints, 
And  quells  the  sinner's  pride." 

28  So  shall  my  grateful  tongue 

Thy  righteousness  proclaim, 
Nor  ever  cease  from  morn  till  night 
To  glorify  thy  name. 


86  PSALMS. 


PSALM  XXXVI.       L.  If. 

1  rP0  all  iniquity  inclined, 

Thus  speaks  the  sinner  in  his  mind, 
••  Xo  fear  nor  danger  can  arise;" 
For  God  is  not  before  his  eyes. 

2  Self-blinded  by  self-flattery, 

His  guilt  he  cannot,  will  not,  see ; 
Nor  does  he  e'er  regard  his  sins 
With  self-abhorring  penitence. 

3  Iniquitous  in  all  his  ways, 
Deceit  abounds  in  all  he  says; 
And  to  his  sinful  follies  turned, 
Wisdom  and  virtue  he  hath  spurned. 

4  On  bed  he  forms  malicious  plots 
That  occupy  his  waking  thoughts, 
And,  hating  no  ungodly  art, 
Works  wickedness  with  all  his  heart. 

5  Thy  mercy,  Lord,  exceeds  in  height 
All  yonder  heavenly  orbs  of  light, 
Thy  faithfulness  extendeth  far, 
Beyond  the  farthest  twinkling  star!* 

6  Thy  justice,  like  vast  mountains,  stands 
Immovable  by  creature-hands; 

Thy  dispensations — who  can  sound 
The  depths  of  their  abyss  profound  ! 

7  O  Lord  !   all  living  creatures  share 
Thy  daily  bounty  and  thy  care: 
O  how  transcendant  is  the  grace 

That  shines  in  all  thy  works  and  ways  ! 

■  Di    A  Clarke 


91 


8  Therefore,  Almighty  King  of  kings, 
Beneath  thine  over  shaJowing  wings, 
The  countless  tribes  o(  mortal  race, 
Their  trust  and  confidence  shall  place. 

9  With  food  from  thine  own  house  supplied, 
They  shall  be  fully  satisfied, 

And  thy  pure  rivers  shall  supply 
Delicious  draughts  abundantly. 

10  For  the  pure  spring  is  found  wTith  thee 
Of  blissful  immortality  ; 
Encircled  with  thy  light  divine, 
Eternal  day  shall  round  us  shine. 

110  still  continue  to  the  race 

That  know  Thee  thine  accustomed  grace  ; 

And  thy  beneficence  impart 

To  those  that  are  upright  in  heart. 

12  No  longer  let  my  haughty  foes 
My  peace  insultingly  oppose  ; 
Nor  let  the  wicked's  cruel  hand 
Remove  me  from  thy  holy  land. 

13  Behold  the  wicked  overthrown  ! 
Their  hosts  are  cast  ignobly  down. 
Cast  down  for  their  iniquities, 
They  fall,  and  they  shall  never  rise  ! 

PSALM  XXXVII.       P.  M. 

1  TV^HEN  wicked  men  grow  rich  and  great, 
Fret  not,  nor  envy  thou  their  state  ; 
'Tis  held  but  for  a  day : 
For  they  shall  wither  like  the  grass, 
And,  like  a  flower  cut  down,  shall  pass 
Right  speedily  away. 


8&  PSALMS. 

2  Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  thou  good  ; 
So  shalt  thou  have  thy  needful  food, 

And  still  dwell  in  the  land  ; 
Let  thy  delight  be  in  the  Lord  ; 
And  thy  desires  he  will  accord 

With  a  benignant  hand. 

3  Commit  thy  ways  unto  the  Lord  ; 
Trust  also  in  his  faithful  word, 

Which  he  will  soon  fulfil ; 
Thy  righteousness  he  will  display, 
And  thine  uprightness,  as  the  day, 

All  gloriously  reveal. 

4  In  all  God's  doings  acquiesce,* 
And  patiently  await  his  grace  ; 

Xor  murmur  in  thine  heart, 
Although  the  worldly  wicked  man 
Should  prosper  in  each  wicked  plan 

And  in  each  guileful  art. 

5  From  anger  cease,  and  wrath  forsake ; 
IS'or  let  a  murmuring  spirit  wake 

To  evil  deeds  thy  hand  : 
Sinners  shall  perish  ;  but  the  just, 
Who  in  Jehovah's  promise  trust, 

They  shall  possess  the  land. 

6  For  soon  the  wicked  shall  not  be  ; 
Thou  shalt  examine  carefully, 

Nor  find  his  place  again: 
But  men  of  meek  and  humble  spirit 
The  land  shall  joyfully  inherit, 

While  blessedness  shall  reign. 

*  Green. 


PSALMS. 

',    Against  the  just  the  wicked  plots. 
And  the  fierce  malice  of  his  thoughts 

His  wrathful  looks  display  : 
The  Lord  looks  on  in  silent  scorn  ; 
For  he  beholds  ih'  approaching  morn 

Of  his  unhappy  day.* 

8  The  wicked  aims  with  sworii  and  bow 
To  lay  the  poor  and  needy  low, 

And  the  upright  to  slay  : 
Their  swords  shall  pierce  themselves  at  last, 
Their  bows  all  broken  shall  be  cast 

Ingloriously  away. 

The  jua  man's  scanty  lot  is  more 
And  betler  than  the  wicked's  store 

Of  silver  and  of  gold  : 
F   r  soon  the  wicked's  wealth  and  power 
ill  perish,  but  in  each  dark  hour 
God  will  the  just  uphold. 

10  For  all  the  just  the  Lord  provides, 
And  their  inheritance  abides 

Eternally-  secure. 
When  trouble  overwhelms  the  earth 
They  shall  lift  up  their  heads;  in  dearth 

Their  sustenance  shall  be  sure. 

1 1  But  wicked  men  shall  be  destroyed  ; 
Nor  shall  his  enemies  abide 

The  anger  of  the  Lord  : 
Even  as  the  fat  of  lambs  shall  they, 
In  smoke  and  flame,  consume  away 

At  his  resistless  word. 

I  Gf^enius. 
H   2 


. 


90  PSALMS. 

12  The  wicked  borrows,  nor  repays  ; 
The  just  are  kind  and  kindly  raise 

The  poor  with  bounteous  hand, 
rpon  the  wicked  still  shall  rest 
The  curse  of  God  ;  the  just  are  blest, 

And  6hall  possess  the  land. 

13  The  steps  of  him  whose  works  and  words 
The  Lord  approvingly  regards 

Are  ordered  by  his  grace. 
Though  he  should  fall,  yet  shall  he  rise, 
For  God  upholds  him  and  supplies 

Strength  in  his  evil  days. 

14  From  youth  to  age  I  ne'er  have  seen 
That  just  men  or  their  seed  have  been 

Reduced  to  beggary. 
The  just  man  ever  kindly  lends  ; 
And  blessing  from  the  Lord  descends 

On  his  posterity. 

15  From  every  sinful  way  depart, 

And  do  thou  good  with  all  thine  heart; 

So  shalt  thou  live  for  aye  : 
For  righteousness  is  God's  delight, 
And  he  forsakes  not  the  upright 

In  their  distressful  day. 

16  The  wicked  and  their  sinful  race 
Shall  perish  from  their  dwelling-place  ; 

Nor  shall  their  power  deliver: 
But  firmly  shall  the  righteous  stand, 
In  peace  inheriting  the  land, 

And  dwelling  there  for  ever. 

17  The  just  man's  conversation  shows 

The  hallowed  source  from  whence  it  flows 
For  wisdom  is  his  guide. 


P&JLL1U  Ul 

The  law  of  God  enthroned  within 
Restraining  him  from  outward  sin, 
His  feet  shall  never  slide. 

IS  The  wicked  man  in  secret  lie*, 
Watching  the  righteous  to  surprise 

And  take  his  life  away. 
God  will  not  leave  him  in  hi$  hand, 
And  though  condemned  of  men,  he'll  stand 
Clear  in  the  judgment  day. 

19  Hope  in  the  Lord,  and  keep  his  law3  ; 
So  shall  he  raise  thee  up,  and  cause 

Thee  to  possess  the  land  : 
Yea,  thou  shalt  see  th'  ungodly  race 
Swept  oft' for  ever  from  their  place, 

While  thou  shalt  safely  stand. 

I've  seen  the  wicked  high  in  pride, 
-^ven  as  a  fair  tree  spreading  wide 

In  its  own  native  ground  : 
I  passed  again,  but  he  was  gone; 
No  trace  of  him  remained — not  one 

Could  any  where  be  found.* 

21  Mark  thou  the  righteous,  and  survey 
The  just;  though  dark  their  present  day, 

Their  after-state  is  peace. 
But  dire  destruction  shall  pursue 
The  wicked  and  ungodly  crew; 

Their  end  is  bitterness. 

22  For  the  salvation  of  the  just 

Comes  from  the  Lord.     He  is  their  trust 
And  strength  in  evil  days. 

*  Green. 


9'+  PSALMS. 

Help  and  deliverance  he  will  send, 
And  from  the  wicked's  power  defend, 
Because  they  trust  his  grace, 

PSALM  XXXVIII.       S.  M. 

1  Q  LORD,  though  I  have  walked 

In  folly's  sinful  path, 
Rebuke  me  not  in  anger,  nor 
Chastise  me  in  thy  wrath. 

2  For  lo  !  thy  shafts  have  pierced 

My  soul  in  every  part, 
And,  with  oppressive  weight,  thy  hand 
Rests  on  my  drooping  heart. 

3  My  health  and  strength  are  gone, 

So  fierce  thine  anger  glows ; 
And,  through  my  aggravated  guilt, 
My  bones  know  no  repose. 

4  For  mine  iniquities 

O'erwhelm  me  like  a  flood  ; 
Nor  can  my  fainting  soul  sustain 
Their  overpowering  load. 

5  My  sores  are  putrid,  through 

The  folly  of  my  way  ; 
My  frame  is  bent  and  shrivelled  up; 
I  mourn  the  live-long  day. 

6  A  foul  and  sore  disease 

Affects  my  every  part  : 
Feeble  and  broken  down,  I  groan 
In  agony  of  heart. 

7  But  my  desire,  O  Lord, 

Is  all  before  thine  eyes  ; 


PSALMS.  93 


And  thine  all-hearing  ear  has  heard 
Mv  groaning  and  my  cries. 

8  My  heart  pants;  my  strength  fails; 
My  very  sight  is  gone  : 
And  my  disease  makes  even  my  friends 

My  company  to  shun. 

« 

My  enemies  attempt 

To  kill  me  by  surprise, 
And  frame  against  me  wrongfully 

Incessant  calumnies. 

10  But,  like  one  deaf  and  dumb, 

I  heard  not  nor  replied, 
But  silent  sat,  as  if  the  sense 
Of  guilt  my  tongue  had  tied. 

11  Because  in  thee  alone, 

O  Lord,  is  all  my  hope : 
For  thou  wilt  answer,  Lord,  for  me, 
And  bear  my  spirit  up. 

12  Hear,  Lord,  my  earnest  prayer; 

Let  not  my  foes  exult ; 
Nor  o'er  my  sad  and  fallen  state 
Contemptuously  insult. 

13  For,  tottering  to  my  fall, 

My  grief  is  ever  near; 
My  sin  I  openly  confess, 
And  live  in  constant  fear. 

14  For  my  fierce  enemies, 

"Who  hate  me  wrongfully, 
Are  numerous,  powerful,  and  enjoy 
Peace  and  prosperity. 


94  PSALMS. 

15  Yea,  those  who  for  my  love 

Hatred  and  ill  repay, 
Who  for  my  kindness  seek  my  hurt, 
Beset  me  all  the  day. 

16  0  Lord,  forsake  me  not, 

Nor  stand  so  far  away  ; 
Haste  to  my  help,  my  Saviour,  Lord, 
In  this  distressful  day. 

PSALM  XXXIX.       L.  M. 

1  T  WILL  observe  my  ways,  said  I, 

And  from  offending  guard  my  tongue; 
My  lips,  while  wicked  men  are  nigh, 
Shall  utter  neither  right  nor  wrong. 

2  But  while  in  silence  I  remained, 
And  even  from  pious  converse  ceased, 
My  heart  with  inward  grief  was  pained, 
And  my  soul's  bitterness  increased. 

3  My  heart,  while  I  was  musing,  burned, 
As  if  consumed  with  secret  fire, 
Then  to  the  Lord  at  length  I  turned, 
And  thus  expressed  my  heart's  desire: 

4  Teach  me,  O  Lord,  how  short  the  span, 
And  brief  the  measure  of  my  days. 
Teach  me  how  frail  a  thing  is  man, 
And  how  he  speedily  decays  ! 

5  Lo  !   as  an  handbreadth  thou  hast  made 
My  life;  man's  days  are  nought  to  thee: 
Yea,  man  in  goodliest  state  arrayed 

Is  altogether  vanity. 

6  Lo  !  man  walks  in  a  shadowy  scene, 
Vain  are  his  troubles,  vain  his  care  ; 


95 


He  heaps  up  wealth  from  morn  till  even, 
Yet  knows  not  who  shall  be  his  heir. 

7  For  what  then  should  I  longing  wait  7 

0  Lord,  my  God,  my  hope's  in  thee. 
Rescue  me  from  my  sinful  state, 
And  from  the  fool's  reproaches  free. 

8  Silent  I  bowed  beneath  the  rt>d, 
Because  it  smote  at  thy  command  : 
Remove  thy  stroke  from  me,  O  God, 

1  sink  beneath  thy  heavy  hand. 

9  When  thou  chastisest  men  for  sin, 
Their  beauty  fades,  consumed  by  thee, 
Like  a  moth-eaten  robe;  for  men 

Are  surely  nought  but  vanity. 

10  Lord,  hear  my  earnest  prayer  and  cry  ; 
Help  me,  for  thou  my  grief  hast  seen  : 
A  passing  stranger  here  am  I, 
As  all  my  fathers'  race  have  been. 

1  i    O  turn  away  thy  frowning  eye, 
And  to  my  drooping  heart  restore 
Comfort  and  peace  and  inward  joy, 
Ere  I  go  hence  and  be  no  more. 

PSALM  XL.       L.  M. 

1  T  WAITED  for  the  Lord  my  God, 

And  meekly  bore  his  chastening  rod  : 
At  length  he  lent  a  willing  ear 
My  earnest  prayer  and  cry  to  hear. 

2  He  took  me  from  a  dismal  pit, 
And  on  a  rock  he  set  my  feet; 
He  drew  me  out  of  miry  clay, 
And  made  me  steadfast  in  my  way. 


96 


3  He  tuned  my  voice  anew  to  sing 
The  praises  of  my  God  and  King  : 
Many  shall  see  it  and  shall  place 
Reliance  in  Jehovah's  grace. 

4  O  happy  is  the  man  and  blest 
Whose  hopes  upon  Jehovah  rest, 
Respecting  not  the  haughty  men 
Who  turn  to  falsehood  and  to  sin. 

5  O  Lord,  my  God,  full  many  are 

Thy  wondrous  acts!   who  can  declare 
Their  number  or  their  vast  amount  1 
Thy  thoughts  of  love  who  can  recount  1 

6  Burnt-offerings  thou  didst  not  desire; 
Sin-offerings  thou  didst  not  require ; 
But  thou  thy  servant's  ears  hast  bored, 
For  I  am  thine  for  ever,  Lord. 

7  Then  said  I,  "  Lo  !  I  come,  O  Lord :" 
(For  so  'tis  written  in  thy  word,) 

"  'Tis  my  delight  to  do  thy  will ; 
Thy  law  I'll  cordially  fulfil." 

8  Widely  will  I  proclaim  abroad 
The  tidings  of  thy  grace,  O  God  ; 
Thou  knowest  I  have  ne'er  concealed 
What  thou  desired'st  to  be  revealed. 

9  I  have  not  hid  within  my  breast, 

But  to  th'  assembled  saints  expressed, 
Thy  righteousness,  thy  faithfulness, 
Thy  truth,  thy  love,  thy  saving  grace. 

10  Do  thou,  benignly,  then  accord 
Thy  grace  to  me,  all-gracious  Lord ; 
Yea,  let  thy  truth,  thy  love,  thy  grace 
Preserve  and  bless  me  all  my  days. 


PSALMS. 

1  I    For  evils  great  and  numberless 

Surround  me,  and  my  soul  oppress: 
Bowed  down  by  my  calamities, 
I  cannot  even  lift  up  my  eyes. 

IS   More  than  the  hairs  upon  my  head, 
They  fill  my  heart  with  fear  and  dread; 
Be  pleased  to  help  me.  sracious  Lord; 
Thy  succour  speedily  afford. 

13  Let  blackest  shame  and  ruin  dire 

Be  theirs  who  'gainst  my  life  conspire  ; 
Shame  and  entire  defeat  pursue 
Th'  ungodly  and  malignant  crew. 

14  Yea,  let  confusion  seize  my  foes 
Who  cry  "Aha,"  amid  my  wees; 
Let  desolation  from  the  Lord 

Be  their  malignity's  reward. 

15  But  let  thy  saints,  O  Lord,  rejoice, 

And  shout  with  triumph's  gladsome  voice; 
Let  all  who  thy  salvation  Iota 
Sing  "Glory  to  the  Lord  above.'' 

16  O  I  am  poor  and  in  distress  ; 

May  God  think  on  my  helplessness! 
Thou  art  my  help  and  Saviour,  Lord, 
Thy  succour  speedily  afford. 

PSALM  XLI.       C.   Iff. 

1  "QLEST  is  the  man  who  wisely  weighs 

The  case  of  the  distressed, 
And  sympathises  with  the  griefs 
And  wrongs  of  the  oppressed. 

2  For  in  his  own  distressful  day 

The  Lord  will  be  his  guard, 


And  his  deliverer  from  death. 
His  comfort  and  reward. 

3  A  blissful  portion  in  the  land 

Shall  his  be  all  his  days, 
And  thou  wilt  save  him  from  the  power 
Of  all  his  enemies. 

4  In  sickness  God  will  strengthen  him, 

And  bear  his  spirit  up, 
And  softly  spreading  ail  his  couch, 
Mix  blessings  in  his  cup. 

5  In  my  distress  I  prayed  to  God, 

"  Thy  mercy,  Lord,  extend 
To  me  a  sinner !   Heal  me,  Lord, 
For  'gainst  Thee  I  have  sinned." 

6  My  enemies  reproaches  spread 

Against  me  every  day  ; 
"  When  shall  he  die,  and  his  name  rot  V' 
Maliciously  they  say. 

7  And  when  they  visit  me,  their  talk 

And  friendship  are  but  show, 

Devising  mischief  in  their  hearts, 

They  spread  it  when  they  go. 

8  They  talk  in  whispers,  and  their  hate 

Thus  vent  malignantly, 
"  Some  heavy  crime  has  weighed  him  down  ; 
'Tis  certain  he  will  die." 

9  Nay,  he  in  whom  I  trusted  most, 

My  bosom-friend  and  guest, 
Even  he  deserted  me,  and  turned 
Against  me  like  the  rest. 

10  But  be  thou  merciful  to  me, 
And  raise  me  up,  O  Lord, 


PSALMfl  '.<(i 


That  I  may  recompense  their  works 
With  their  deserved  award. 

1 1  Even  now,  I  surely  know  thou  hast 

Benignly  heard  my  call  ; 
For  otherwise  my  enemies 
Had  triumphed  in  my  fall. 

12  For  by  thine  hand  upheld,  I  stand 

In  mine  integrity  ; 
And  in  thy  presence  evermore 
Thou  hast  established  me. 

13  Then  blessed  be  the  Lord  our  God 

To  all  eternity. 
And  let  his  people  Israel  say, 
Amen  !  So  let  it  be  ! 


PSALM  XLIL       C.  M. 


1  17  VEN  as  the  hart,  when  parched  with  thirst, 

Pants  for  the  water-brook  ; 
So  pants  my  soul  for  thee,  O  God, 
For  thee  I  longing  look. 

2  My  soul  thirsts  for  the  living  God; 

O  God  !   when  shall  I  stand 
Within  thy  blissful  courts  again, 
In  Judah's  happy  land  ! 

3  My  tears  have  been  my  bitter  food, 

Both  in  the  night  and  day, 
While  constantly,  "  Where  is  thy  God  !" 
The  taunting  scoffers  say. 

4  My  soul  within  me  melts,  with  grief 

And  loneliness  oppressed. 


100  PSALMS. 

When  I  recall  to  mind  the  joys 
Of  Zion's  solemn  feast.* 

5   When  to  the  house  of  God  we  marched, 
In  slow  and  measured  pace, 
The  festive  multitude  around 
Shouting  in  joyful  praise.* 

%   6  O  why  art  thou  cast  down,  my  soul  1 
Why  troubled  and  dismayed, 
As  if  bereft  of  every  hope 
Of  comfort  and  of  aid! 

7  Still  hope  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet 

His  wondrous  grace  adore; 
For  he  is  still  my  Saviour,  and 
My  God  for  evermore. 

8  O  God,  my  downcast  soul  to  Thee 

Turns  sorrowfully  still, 
From  Jordan's  land,  from  Hermon's  top, 
And  Mizar's  distant  hill. 

9  Thy  cataracts  rush  roaring  down  ; 

Torrents  to  torrents  call, 
With  a  loud  noise,  and  thy  big  waves 
O'erwhelm  my  sinking  soul.-j- 

10  Wh^n  God  was  with  me  heretofore, 

My  path  was  ever  bright ; 
For  his  grace  cheered  me  all  the  day, 
And  his  song  all  the  night. $ 

1 1  God  of  my  life,  my  rock,  why  then 

Hast  thou  forgotten  me  ? 
Why  am  I  left  in  grief  to  mourn 
My  foe's  fierce  tyranny  1 

*  Green.  J  Boothroyd  $  Boothroyd. 


lLMS.  K>L 

12  For  their  reproaches  pierce  my  heart, 

Even  as  a  sword  the  bones; 
AnJ  when  they  say,  "  Where  is  thy  God  !M 
My  wounded  spirit  groans. 

13  O  why  art  thou  cast  down,  ray  soul  ] 

roubled  and  dismayed, 
bereft  of  every  hope,  * 
Of  comfort  and  of  aid  ] 

14  Still  hope  in  God;  for  I  shall  yet 

His  wondrous  grace  adore  ; 
For  he  is  still  my  Saviour,  and 
My  (rod  for  evermore, 

PSALM   XLIII.       C.  M. 

1  rPRY  me,  O  God,  and  plead  my  cause 

Against  a  godless  race  ; 
Aid  save  me  from  the  wicked  man, 
And  his  deceitful  ways. 

2  O  God,  my  strength  !  why  is  it  so 

That  I  am  cast  away, 
And  doomed  to  feel  oppression's  scourge 
In  sorrow  all  the  day  ) 

3  Vouchsafe  me  light,  and  let  thy  truth 

My  heart  with  wisdom  fill; 
And  guide  me  to  thy  blissful  courts, 
To  Zion's  holy  hill. 

4  Then  will  I  to  God's  altar  go, 

To  God,  my  chiefest  joy  ; 
Yea,  O  my  God,  thy  praise  shall  still 
My  tuneful  harp  employ. 

5  O  why  art  thou  cast  down,  my  soul  ! 

Why  troubled  and  dismayed, 


102  rsAure. 

As  if  bereft  of  every  hope 
Of  comfort  and  of  aid  ] 

0  Still  hope  in  God  ;  for  I  shall  vet 

His  wondrous  grace  adore  ; 
For  he  is  still  nay  Saviour.'and 
My  God  for  evermore. 

PSALM  XLIV.       C.  M. 

1  T^ULL  often  have  we  heard,  O  God, 

Our  fathers  oft  have  told, 
What  thou  hast  done  in  other  days, 
Even  in  the  days  of  old. 

2  How  thou  didst  drive  the  heathen  out, 

And  plant  them  in  their  place, 
Increasing  Israel's  favoured  tribes, 
And  wasting  Canaan's  race. 

3  For  neither  did  their  own  right  arm. 

Nor  their  own  sword  and  might, 
Obtain  possession  of  the  land, 
Or  conquer  in  the  fight. 

4  'Twas  thy  right  hand,  thy  mighty  arm, 

Thy  favour  and  thy  grace, 
That  wrought  deliverance  for  their  tribes; 
For  thou  did'st  leve  their  race. 

5  And  thou  art  still  our  King,  0  God  ! 

O,  then,  our  straits  behold, 
And  work  deliverance  yet  again 
For  Jacob,  as  of  old. 

6  Through  thee,  our  own,  our  father's  God, 

We'll  vanquish  every  foe  ; 
And  all  our  enemies  around 
Entirely  overthrow. 


PSALMS.  103 


"i    I  will  not  trust  for  my  defence 
To  bow,  or  sword,  or  spear  ; 
'Twas  thou  that  saved'st  us  heretofore 
When  fiercest  foes  were  near; 

8  And  our  malicious  enemies 

Did'st  overwhelm  with  shame: 
In  God  we  gloried  daily  then", 
And  ever  blessed  thy  name. 

9  But  now  thou  hast  forsaken  us, 

And  brought  us  to  disgrace, 
Nor^dost  thou  with^our  armies  march, 
As  in  these  ancient  days. 

10  Thou  puttest  us  to  rout  and  flight 

Before  our  enemies ; 
And  we  are  robbed  and  spoiled  by  those 
That  hate  us  and  despise. 

1 1  Like  sheep  reserv'd  for  slaughter,  thou 

Hast  given  us,  O  God  ! 
And  far  away  in  heathen  lands 
Hast  scattered  us  abroad. 

12  Thy  people^thou  hast  soldYor  nought 

To  dismal  slavery  ; 
?sor  has  their  miserable  price 
Enriched  thy  treasury. 

13  Thou  makest  us  to  all  around 

Reproach,  derision,  scorn  ; 
The  people's  proverb,  scoff  and  jest, 
Most  bitter  to  be  borne. 

14  Shame  and  confusion  cover  us  ; 

We  blush  and  hide  our  face, 
At  the  reproach  and  blasphemy 
Of  our  fierce  enemies. 


104  P3ALMS. 

15  All  this  has  come  on  us;  but  Thee. 

Lord,  we  have  ne'er  forgot, 
Nor  in  thy  holy  covenant 
Deceitfully  have  wrought. 

16  Our  heart  has  not  declined  from  Thee, 

Nor  our  feet  from  thy  path  ; 
Though  thou  hast  crushed  us  underneath 
The  fierceness  of  thy  wrath  ; 

17  And  made  our  ancient  dwelling-place 

The  foul  hyena's  den, 
And  covered  us,  as  in  the  grave, 
F  the  land  of  living  men. 

18  If  we  have  e'er  forgot  thy  name 

In  base  idolatry, 
Shall  not  the  Searcher  of  our  hearts 
Discern  the  treachery  ] 

19  Yea,  countless  and  severest  woes, 

For  thy  sake  we  sustain  ; 
Martyred  to-day,  or  kept  like  sheep, 
To-morrow  to  be  slain. 

20  Awake  !   Why  sleepest  Thou,  O  Lord? 

Awake,  arise,  deliver ! 
Look  on  our  low  and  ruined  state, 
Nor  cast  us  off  for  ever  ! 

21  Why  dost  thou  hide  thy  face,  and  why 

Forget  to  send  relief] 
Our  spirits  crushed  with  wrongs,  our  hearts 
Sink  from  excessive  grief. 

22  Arise,  O  Lord,  forget  us  not  ; 

Yea,  for  our  help  arise  : 
Redeem  us  for  thy  mercies'  sake 
From  all  our  enemies  ' 


PSALMS.  L05 


PSALM  XLV.       L.  M. 

i    \\y  heart  divinely  tuned  to  sing 

Of  Zion's  Lord  and  Zion's  King, 
The  theme  shall  animate  my  song, 
And  like  a  swift  pen  guide  my  tongue. 

2  Fairest  of  men  !   that  form  of  thine 
Is  matchless,  glorious  and  divine  !* 
Graceful  thy  lips,  and  sweet^thy  word, 
Thou  ever-blessed  of  the  Lord  ! 

3  Gird  on  thy  sword,  thou  warrior-king, 
Almighty  and  all-conquering  ! 

And  buckle  on  thine  armour  bright 
And  dazzling  as  the  noon-day  light.j 

4  And  in  thy  majesty  ride  on 

All  prosperously,  thou  glorious  One  : 
For  meekness,  truth  and  equity — 
These  are  the  cause  upheld  by  thee.t 

5  Yes  !   and  in  thine  impetuous  course, 
Dart  terrors  with  resistless  force :§ 
Thy  shafts  are  sharp,  O  king,  and  all 
Thy  foes  beneath  thy  might  shall  fall. ] 

6  O  God,  thou  High  and  Holy  One! 
Eternal  stands  thy  glorious  throne  ; 
The  sceptre  of  thy  kingdom  is 
Forever  swayed  in  righteousness. 

7  Yea,  righteousness  is  thy  delight, 
And  constant  aim  both  day  and  night, 
"VYhile  sin  and  all  iniquity 

Are  utterly  abhorred  by  thee. 

•  Boothroyd.        |  Hon-ley.  Hnothroyd.       §  Boolliroyd. 

!  Green 


1(MJ  PSALMS. 

8  Hence  hath  thy  God,  Jehovah,  shed 
The  oil  of  gladness  on  thy  head, 
And  raised  thee  far  above  thy  peers, 
The  Lord  of  all  the  universe. 

9  Thy  robes  from  ivory  wardrobes  brought, 
With  Araby's  rich  odours  fraught, — 
Myrrh,  aloes,  cassia,  frankincense — 
Delight  and  recreate  the  sense.* 

10  Daughters  of  kings  attend  thy  state, 
And  with  thy  precious  treasures  wait, 
While  the  queen  stands  at  thy  right  hand, 
Arrayed  in  gold  of  Ophir's  land. 

11  Hearken,  O  daughter,  to  my  voice; 
Reflect,  nor  these  my  words  despise: 
Thy  people  and  thy  former  state, 
Thy  father's  house,  henceforth  forget. 

12  So  shall  thy  beauty  still  impart 
Joy  to  the  king's  delighted  heart : 
To  him  all  reverence  still  accord, 
For  he's  thy  husband  and  thy  Lord. 

13  And  there  be  thou,  with  presents  meet, 
Daughter  of  Tyre,  thy  prince  to  greet ; 
And  let  the  wealthiest  nations  bring 
Gifts  to  propitiate  the  king. 

14  All  gloriously  attired,  the  queen, 

A  monarch's  daughter,  stands  within  : 
Her  vesture's  richly  wrought  of  gold  ; 
And  broidered  robes  her  form  enfold. j 

15  Behold  her  splendidly  arrayed, 
In  slow  and  long  procession  led, 

•  Green.  f  Boothroyrf.  Ilosrley. 


l!»7 

I'ulo  her  husband  and  her  king, 
Attendant  virgins  following. 

16  In  festive  train  they  march  a!<  i 
With  gladness  and  the  voice  of  song, 
Until,  in  royal  pomp  and  state, 
They  stand  within  the  palace  gate.* 

17  Sons  of  thine  own  shall  fill  the  place 
Of  thy  once  loved  paternal  race; 

And  thou  shalt  give  them  hfrgh  command, 
To  reign  as  princes  in  the  land. 

18  Thy  fame  to  many  a  future  race 
They  shall  transmit  in  future  days: 
Till  all  who  dwell  on  every  shore 
Thy  praise  proclaim  for  evermore. y 

PSALM  XLVI.       P.  M. 

1  TEHOVAH  is  our  refuge  and  strong  tower; 

Our  present  guardian  in  the  daikest  hour. 
Therefore,  although  the  earth  be  swept  away, 
And  loftiest  mountains  cast  into  the  sea, 
"\Ye  will  not  fear  :  yea.  though  the  boiling  ocean 
Rage  till  the  mountains  rock  in  wild  commotion. 

2  There  is  a  stream  whose  living  waters  flow, 
Gladdening  the  city  of  our  God  below. 
Within  that  holy  place  Jehovah  dwells.. 
And  all  its  temple  with  his  glory  nils. 

Xo  (oo  shall  e'er  subvert  that  holy  city, 

Her  strong  and  swift  deliverer  is  the  Almighty. 

3  Around  her  walls  the  assembled  nations  raged  ; 
The  kingdoms,  moved  with  ire,  fierce  warfare  waged. 

*  Borate?         ;  Septa  agint,  Volgate,  Houbijant,  Horsley. 


106  rsALMs. 

Then  spake  the  Lord  in  majesty  and  might ; 
The  earth  dissolved  in  terror  and  affright. 
The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us.  nor  will  leave  us; 
The  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  he  will  save  us. 

3  Come  and  behold  the  judgments  of  our  God, 
What  desolations  he  hath  wrought  abroad 

O'er  the  wide  world  !     He  maketh  wrars  to  cease, 
Establishing  a  universal  peace: 
The  bow  he  breaks,  and  with  his  rolling  thunder 
Burns  the  war-chariot,  cuts  the  spear  asunder. 

4  Be  still,  ye  nations;  know  that  I  am  God, 
Exalted  high  o'er  all  the  world  abroad  ; 

Earth's  mightiest  ones  beneath  my  power  I'll  bring, 
And  reign  her  only  and  Almighty  king. 
The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us,  nor  will  leave  us, 
The  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  he  will  save  us. 

PSALM  XLVII.       P.  M. 

1  T>  EJOICE,  all  ye  children  of  Jacob,  rejoice; 

To  God  let  the  loud  shout  of  triumph  arise  : 
For  the  Lord,  who  in  might  is  unspeakably  great, 
Reigns  o'er  the  wide  earth  as  its  sole  Potentate. 

2  Its  tribes  and  its  tongues  he  will  humble  them  low, 
And  beneath  our  dominion  the  nations  shall  bow: 
He  will  choose  our  inheritance  for  us  again, 

The  glory  of  Jacob,  the  land  of  Canaan. 

3  The  Lord  is  gone  up  to  his  throne  in  the  sky, 
With  trumpet  and  triumph  and  shoutings  of  joy; 
Sing  praise  to  our  God;    let  the  firmament  ring 
WTith  the  praise  of  the  Lord,  our  omnipotent  king. 

4  For  the  Lord  reigns  supreme  from  the  pole  to  the  pole; 
O  then  let  his  praise  fill  your  heart  and  your  soul ; 


llm8«  L09 

Hil  bovndJeae  dominion  the  heathen  shall  own, 
And  holy  is  he  .vho  sits  on  the  throne. 

5  The  chiefs  of  ihe  people  beloved  of  the  Lord, 
Are  gathered  together  in  joyful  aecerd  ; 

For  God  is  the  shield  of  ihe  land,  and  his  throne 
Is  highly  exalted  ;   he  reigncth  alone. 

PSALM  XLVIII,       P.  M. 

« 

1  Q  GREAT  is  the  Lord  ;   let  Zion  upraise, 

In  rapturous  strains,  the  song  ot*  his  praise  ; 
With  joy.  O  ye  people,  proclaim  it  abroad, 
Even  ye  that  inhabit  the  city  of  God. 

2  Mount  Zion  beloved  most  beautiful  stands, 
The  light  of  all  eyes,  the  joy  of  all  lands  ; 

And,  lo  !  where  her  northernmost  turrets  upspring, 
The  city  of  Zion's  omnipotent  King! 

3  Within  her  strong  walls  Jehovah  resides. 
And  for  her  defence  for  ever  abides. 

The  nations  acknowledge,  and  Zion  confesses 
The  Lord  as  her  refuge  in  straits  and  distresses. 

4  For  soon  as  their  kings  in  battle  array 
Stood  leagued  for  her  fall,  they  melted  away ; 
They  saw  us  and  marvelled  ;  confusion  and  dread 
Took  hold  on  their  host,  and  in  terror  they  fled.* 

5  Yes  !   anguish  and  fear  took  hold  on  her  foes, 
Like  woman's  when  comes  the  hour  of  her  throes  ; 
Or  like  the  wild  tempests  the  ocean  that  sweep. 
And  sink  stoutest  ships  in  the  fathomless  deep.-f 

'i  Now,  now  we  have  seen,  what  others  had  told. 
Of  God's  mighty  acts  for  Zion  of  old. 

free*,  Boothrnyd 


110  PSALMS. 

In  straits  and  in  danger  the  Lord  will  deliver; 
The  Lord  will  establish  Mount  Ziori  for  ever.* 

7  We  waited,  O  God,  in  thy  holy  place, 
Expecting  in  hope  thy  mercy  and  grace.-f" 

Thy  name  is  all  glorious ;  be  endless  thy  praise, 
For  just  and  benign  are  thy  works  and  thy  ways. 

8  Let  Zion  rejoice,  end  Judah  be  glad, 

While  thus  they  behold  the  judgments  of  God. 
Exult  ye,  her  daughters  ;  triumphantly  sing 
The  justice  of  Zion's  omnipotent  king. 

9  Yes  :'  march  round  her  walls  ;  her  palaces  tell ; 
Her  bulwarks  and  towers  consider  them  well ; 
And  tell  to  your  offspring  the  Lord  will  abide 
For  ever  and  ever  our  God  and  our  guide.* 

PSALM  XLIX.       C.  M. 

1  XJEAR  this,  ye  people;  and  attend, 

All  ye  that  dwell  on  earth: 
Beth  rich  and  poor;  both  nobles  all, 
And  men  of  humble  birth. 

2  My  theme  is  wisdom  ;  and  my  heart 

Warmed  with  an  inward  fire, 
I'll  frame  a  lofty  song,  and  chaunt 
Deep  mysteries  to  tho  lyre. 

3  Why  should  I  fear  in  evil  days, 

Though  pressed  with  guileful  ait, 
And  compassed  round  by  those  who  would 
Supplant  me  and  subvert? 

4  Not  one  of  those  that  trust  in  wealth, 

And  boast  of  heaps  untold, 

*  Boothroyd.      f  Green,  Horsley.       t  Bishop  Hare. 


i  li 


(Jan  possibly  redeem  from  death 
His  brother  with  his  gold  ; 

5  Or  pay  a  ransom  unto  God, 

To  wrest  him  from  the  grave  ; 
To  purchase  endless  life  for  him, 
And  from  corruption  save. 

6  That  ransom  price  would  far  exceed 

All  human  wealth  to  pay', 
And  therefore,  unredeemed  from  death, 
They  quickly  pass  away. 

7  The  wise  man  dies,  as  dies  the  fool, 

The  sensual  and  the  base; 
And  all  their  wealth  they  leave  behind 
To  a  succeeding  race. 

y  The  grave  becomes  their  dwelling-place. 
And  their  abode  for  aye  ; 
And  men  inscribe  their  names  on  heaps 
Of  monumental  clay. 

9   Still  in  prosperity  and  health, 
Mortals  regard  it  not ; 
But  as  the  brutes  die,  so  do  they, 
Without  one  solemn  thought. 

10  How  foolish  is  their  hopeless  course! 

Yet  their  succeeding  race 
Approve  their  maxims  and  their  works. 
And  follow  in  their  ways. 

1 1  They,  too,  like  sheep  are  placed  betimes 

Within  the  grave's  strong  hold  ; 
Death,  as  their  shepherd,  gathering  them 
Into  his  gloomy  fold. 

12  And  o'er  them  shall  the  righteous  rule 

On  the  great  morn  of  doom, 


112  PSAL3IS. 

When,  wasted  in  the  grave,  their  frames 
Shall  issue  from  the  tomb. 

13  But  surely  from  thy  power,  O  grave  ! 

God  will  my  soul  redeem  ; 

He  will  receive  me  to  himself, 

And  I  shall  live  with  him. 

14  Then  fear  not  when  thy  neighbour's  wealth 

Becomes  exceeding  great, 
And  when  his  house  exalted  stands 
In  honour  and  in  state. 

15  For  he  shall  carry  nought  away, 

When  wrapt  in  death's  dark  gloom, 
Nor  shall  his  grandeur  follow  him 
Down  to  the  silent  tomb. 

16  Though  he  was  praised  and  blessed  himself, 

When  all  with  him  was  well ; 
Soon  shall  he,  with  his  father's  race. 
In  endless  darkness  dwell. 

1?   A  man  to  worldly  honour  raised, 
Who  is  not  truly  wise, 
Lives  like  a  senseless  brutish  beast, 
And  like  a  beast  he  dies.* 

PSALM   L.       P.  M. 

1    THE  Lord,  the  mighty  God, 
"*"     Utters  his  voice  from  heaven; 
To  all  the  world  abroad 

Is  his  dread  mandate  given  ; 
He  calls  the  nations  of  the  east, 
And  summons  the  remotest  west. 

*  Roothrovd  throughout 


FSALMi  1  1  '4 


2  from  Zion's  holy  place. 

In  beauty  all  divine. 
And  in  effulgent  blaze, 

Jehovah's  glories  shine  : 
In  Gre  and  storms  shall  God  appear, 
And  speak  that  all  the  world  may  hoar. 

3  He  summons  heaven  and  earth 

Around  his  royal  seat ; 
Their  tribes  of  every 

In  countless  millions  meet: 
For  judgment  is  his  throne  ordained, 
And,  lo  !   his  people  are  arraigned  ! 

4  Come  hither,  every  saint ! 

Ye  that  by  sacrifice 
Have  made  firm  covenant 

With  him  who  rules  the  skies: 
So  shall  the  heavens  God's  justice  see  ; 
For  who  is  Judge  Supreme  but  He7 

b   Hear,  0  my  people,  hear ; 

For  I  wiil  speak  aloud  ; 

O,  Jacob's  sons,  give  e^r ; 

Thy  sins  I  will  not  shroud. 
For  I  am  God,  thy  Sovereign  Lord  ; 
Attend  then  to  my  sovereign  word. 

o'   For  sacrifice  withheld, 

Thy  sons  I  will  not  chide. 
Offerings  from  fold  and  field. 

All  duly  ye  provide  : 
But  what  are  beeves  or  goats  to  me. 
All  duly  offered  though  they  be  7 

"J    For  every  beast  is  mine. 
In  forest  or  in  field  : 


114 


The  beasts  of  prey,  the  kine. 

The  birds  the  mountains  yield. 
All,  on  a  thousand  hills,  are  known 
To  me,  and  they  are  all  my  own. 

8  Would  I  ask  food  of  thine, 

If  I  should  hungry  be  1 
The  spacious  world  is  mine, 

And  ail  its  progeny. 
Or  think'st  thou  will  the  mighty  God 
Eat  flesh  of  bulls,  or  drink  their  blood  ! 

9  Offer  to  God,  thy  Lord, 

Due  praises  in  his  house, 
And  let  thy  deeds  accord 

Harmonious  with  thy  vows  ; 
In  days  of  sorrow  seek  his  face, 
And  when  delivered  praise  his  grace. 

10  "But  why  do  sinners  dare," 

(Saith  God,  let  each  give  heed,) 
"  My  statutes  to  declare, 

My  covenant  to  plead  ! 
dinners  who  yet  reject  the  word, 
And  hate  the  chastenings  of  the  Lord. 

11  Adulterers  and  thieves 

Thy  chosen  friends  have  been ; 
Thy  false  tongue  daily  weaves 

Mischief,  deceit  and  sin  : 
Nor  have  the  children  of  thy  mother 
Escaped  the  slanders  of  their  brother. 

12  While  these  things  thou  hast  done, 

I  held  my  peace  till  now  ; 

Thou  thought'st  the  Holy  One 

Was  such  an  one  as  thou  : 


P8AUU9  115 


Bin  I  will  weigh  thy  deeds,  and  call 
Thee  to  strict  reckoning  for  them  all." 

13  Now,  ponder  this  and  fear, 

Ye  that  forget  the  Lord  ; 
Lest  lie  ill  pieces  tear 

The  scorners  of  his  word: 
Lest  his  tremendous  wrath  devour, 
When  none  can  rescue  from  his  power. 

14  The  man  that  offers  praise 

Does  honour  to  the  Lord  ; 
And  he  that  frames  his  ways 

According  to  his  word. 
Shall  everlastingly  enjoy 
Salvation  from  the  Lord  Most  High. 

PSALM  LI.       L.  M. 

1  T-TAVE  mercy,  O  thou  God  of  grace  ! 

In  thy  compassions,  think  on  me  ! 
In  thy  great  loving-kindnesses, 
Blot  out  all  mine  iniquity  ! 

2  Wash  me  from  all  my  guiltiness, 

'Till  my  polluted  soul  be  clean  ; 
For  my  transgressions  I  confess, 
Nor  seek  to  palliate  my  sin  ! 

3  0  1  have  sinned  'gainst  Thee,  O  Lord  ! 

And  wrought  this  evil  in  thy  sight! 
Thy  sentence  and  thy  dread  award 
Are  therefore  wholly  just  and  right. 

4  Behold  !   conceived  in  guilt  and  sin, 

A  sinner  in  the  womb  I  lay  ; 

A  sinner  born,  Lord,  I  have  been 

\  sinner  from  my  Dttal  dav. 


116  PSALMS. 

5  But  thy  delights  are  truth  within, 

And  purity  and  holiness; 
O  keep  me  then  from  secret  sin, 
And  teach  me  wisdom's  holy  ways. 

6  Yea,  sprinkle  thou  my  leprous  soul 

With  hyssop,  that  it  may  be  clean  ; 
And  wash  me  white  as  snow  from  all 
The  deep  defilement  of  my  sin. 

7  O  make  me  hear  this  gladsome  voice, 

"  Peace  from  a  sin-forgiving  God  ;" 

So  shall  these  broken  bones  rejoice — 

Broken  beneath  thy  chastening  rod. 

S   O  hide  thy  face,  Lord,  from  my  sins, 
And  blot  out  my  transgressions  all ; 
Create  in  me  afresh,  and  cleanse 
My  heart,  and  renovate  my  soul. 

9  And  from  thy  blissful  presence,  Lord, 
O  cast  me  not  in  wrath  away; 
But  let  thy  Holy  Spirit  afford 
Strength  in  my  every  evil  day. 

10  Make  me  to  know  and  feel  again 

The  joys  thy  grace  and  favour  give; 
Revive  my  spirit,  and  sustain 

My  tottering  footsteps  while  I  live. 

1 1  So  shall  I  joyfully  proclaim 

To  sinful  men  thy  works  and  ways ; 
'Till  sinners  learn  to  fear  thy  name, 
And  magnify  thy  saving  grace. 

12  O  God,  my  Saviour,  O  my  God  ! 

My  soul  o'erwhelmed  still  turns  to  thee  ; 
O  save  me  from  the  guilt  of  blood, 
That  I  may  sing  thy  clemency. 


NAUH.  Ill 

IS   Mv  lips,  which  sorrow,  guilt  and  shame 
sealed,  be  pleased  to  open,  Lord; 
shall  I  magnify  thy  name, 
And  all  thy  glorious  acts  record. 

1-1  For  Thou  desir'st  not  sacrifice, 

Xor  in  burnt-offerings  tak'st  delight; 
Else  would  I  make  thine  altar  blaze 

With  whole  burnt-offerings  day  and  night. 

15  A  broken  spirit,  O  my  God, 
Is  thine  accepted  sacrifice  ; 
A  heart,  with  sin  and  sorrow's  load 

Oppressed,  Lord,  Thou  wilt  not  despise. 

1G   Deal  kindly  to  the  chosen  land. 

Where  Israel  on  bis  Saviour  calls; 
Let  Zion  yet  in  beauty  stand, 

And  build  Jerusalem's  ruined  walls. 

17  So  shall  her  whole  burnt-offerings  rise, 
Accepted  in  Jehovah's  sight; 
So  shall  her  every  sacrifice 

Be  holy,  and  her  Lord's  delight. 

25th  JinguH,  1837. 
Lat.  6D  JV.  Atlantic  Ocean. 

PSALM  LIL       C.  M. 

1  A\    HY  gloriest  thou,  O  mighty  man, 

Because  thine  arts  prevail  ? 
The  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord 
Can  never,  never  fail. 

2  Thou  plottest  mischief,  and  thy  tongue 

Cuts  like  a  razor  keen  : 
Hypocrisy  and  guileful  arts 
Thy  practice  still  have  been. 


118  PSALMS. 

3  Iniquity,  lies  and  deceit 

Arc  still  thy  chief  employ; 
Thou  hatest  truth  and  rectitude; 
Thou  speak'st  but  to  destroy. 

4  God  shall  destroy  thee  utterly  ; 

With  violence  he  will  tear 
Thee  from  thy  tent,  and  root  thee  out 
From  his  creation  fair. 

5  And  righteous  men,  who  see  thy  doom, 

Shall  thus,  with  one  accord, 
Express  their  scorn,  even  while  they  fear 
And  magnify  the  Lord. 

6  "  Behold  the  mighty  man  whose  wealth 

Was  all  his  trust  and  pride  ; 
Who  made  his  wrongful  deeds  his  strength 
Nor  on  the  Lord  relied  !" 

7  But  I,  like  a  green  olive  tree, 

Am  planted  in  God's  house; 
For  in  the  Lord's  unchanging  grace 
My  hopes  I  still  repose. 

8  Therefore,  I'll  put  my  trust  in  Thee, 

And  still  thy  praise  proclaim  ; 
For  it  is  seemly  'mid  thy  saints 
To  bless  thy  holy  name. 

PSALM  LIII.       C.  M. 

1  "  'INHERE  is  no  God,"  th'  ungodly  man 

Thinks  in  his  heart  and  says  ; 
Their  hearts  are  corrupt,  vile  their  works, 
And  sinful  all  their  ways. 

2  The  Lord  looked  down  from  heaven  on  high, 

And  viewed  the  world  abroad. 


PC  \:  119 

if  even  one  were  v\  i-r. 
I  iught  the  living  God. 

3  But  all  were  corrupt,  all  were  vile, 

And  backward  all  had  gone; 
For  not  one  righteous  man  was  found 
In  the  wide  world — not  one  ! 

4  Shall  such  ungodly  men  escape, 

Nor  feel  Jehovah's  power, 
Who  fear  him  not,  and  whexhis  saints, 
Even  as  their  food,  devour? 

5  No  !   they  who  feared  not  God  befo/e 

Shall  fear  him,  when  in  ire 
He  scattereth  the  bones  of  those 
Who  'gainst  his  saints  conspire. 

f>   Then  shall  their  hearts  be  crowned  with  shame, 
And  terror  and  dismay, 
When  God  looks  forth  in  an^er,  and 
Confounds  their  thick  array. 

7   O  let  thy  great  salvation,  Lord, 
To  Israel  quickly  come, 
From  Zion's  holy  mount,  and  bring 
Thy  captive  people  home  ! 

8-  So  shall  thy  saints  throughout  the  world 
Sound  the  glad  anthem  high  ; 
O  Jacob,  thou  shalt  triumph  then, 
And  Israel  shout  for  joy  ! 

PSALM  LIV.       C.  If. 

1    CAVE  me,  O  God,  through  thy  great  name, 
And  by  thy  power  defend  ; 
Lord,  deign  to  hear  my  humble  prayer, 
And  to  mv  words  attend. 


120  P81XMS. 

2  For  tyrants  seek  my  life;  the  proud 

In  bands  against  me  rise, 
Regarding  not  the  mighty  God, 
Whose  throne  is  in  the  skies. 

3  But  thou  art  still  my  helper,  Lord  ; 

Jehovah  is  my  stay, 
And  to  my  wrathful  foes  will  soon 
Their  wickedness  repay. 

4  For  faithful  are  the  promises 

And  threatenings  of  the  Lord  ; 
In  justice,  therefore,  cut  them  off, 
According  to  thy  word. 

5  So  shall  I  willingly  present 

My  sacrifice  to  thee, 
And  bless  thy  name,  as  is  most  meet, 
Henceforth  continually. 

6  For  thou  hast  rescued  me,  O  God, 

From  all  my  straits  and  woes, 
And  made  me  see  the  ruin  and 
Destruction  of  my  foes. 

PSALM  LV.       L.  M. 

1  T   ORD,  to  my  sorrowing  words  give  ear, 

Nor  turn  from  my  entreating  voice  ; 
Deign  to  regard  my  lowly  prayer, 
And  listen  to  my  doleful  cries. 

2  Around  me  wicked  men  arise — 
A  wrathful  and  malicious  band — 
To  vex  my  soul  with  calumnies, 

And  seek  mv  dovvnfal  in  the  land 


P8A]  121 

.3  My  heart  with  inward  pain  oppft 
Death's  terrors  on  my  spirit  fall ; 
Unwonted  fears  convulse  my  bn 
And  horror  overwhelms  my  soul. 

4  Had  I  the  dove's  fleet  wings  to  fly 
From  rising  wind  and  tempest  here, 
O  I  would  flee  far  hence,  said  I, 
And  hide  me  in  the  desert  drear. 

5  Distract  their  counsels,  O  art  God  ! 
And  their  assembled  power  destroy  ; 
For  strife  and  violence  walk  abroad 
Through  all  the  city  of  our  joy. 

G   Mischief  and  wrong  and  guile  are  found 
Along  her  streets,  around  her  walls; 
Iniquity  pollutes  her  ground, 
And  trouble  on  her  people  falls. 

"/    'Twas  not  my  bitter  foe  whose  tongue 
Reproachfully  maligned  my  name. 
And  violently  wrought  me  wrong, 
Else  had  I  borne  or  shunned  the  shame. 

8  But  thou,  my  bosom  friend,  'twas  thou, 
With  whom  my  soul  had  converse  sweet, 
Oft  as  we  paid  the  solemn  vow, 

In  God's  house  where  his  people  meet. 

9  Let  sudden  death  their  course  arrest, 
And  gulf  them  in  the  opening  ground, 
Like  Korah's  company  unblessed  : 
For  guilt  i-  in  their  dwellings  found 

10  Still  to  my  God  I  lift  my  voice. 

At  morn,  at  noon-dav,  and  at  night  . 


122  tsalms. 

He  bids  my  mourning  soul  rejoice 
And  turns  my  darkness  into  light. 

11  He  rescues  me  from  battle,  and 
Restores  to  safety  and  to  peace ; 
For  multitudes  around  me  stand 
Of  tierce  inveterate  enemies. 

12  Yea,  God,  th'  eternal  Potentate, 
Hears  me,  and  humbles  wicked  men  ; 
No  change  affects  their  prosp'rous  state, 
And  therefore  they  persist  in  sin. 

13  False  to  their  oaths  and  promises, 
They  practise  violence  and  wrong, 
On  men  of  charity  and  peace, 
And  speak  with  a  deceitful  tongue. 

14  Like  oil  or  butter  are  their  words, 

So  smooth,  so  peaceful  and  so  bland ; 
But  war  is  in  their  heart,,  and  swords 
And  deadliest  weapons  in  their  hand. 

15  Cast  thou  thy  cares  upon  the  Lord, 
And  he  will  prove  thy  help  and  stay; 
To  righteous  men  he'll  still  afford 
Strength  in  temptation's  evil  day. 

16  But  bloody  and  deceitful  men 
Down  to  the  pit  the  Lord  will  thrust, 
Amid  their  short  career  of  sin. 
Jehovah  is  my  hope  and  trust. 

PSALM  LVI.       S.  M. 

1   TJAVE  pity  on  me,  Lord  ! 

For  man  would  overthrow  ; 


PSALM-.  123 

Daily  I  suffer  grievous  wrong 
From  my  assailing  foe. 

2  On  my  destruction  bent, 

They  hunt  me  all  the  day, 
With  hatred  and  with  malice  fired, 
In  thick  and  fierce  array. 

3  But,  when  afraid,  in  thee 

My  confidence  I'll  place,. 
Still  trusting  in  my  Saviour,  God, 
And  in  his  promised  grace. 

4  In  thee  I  trust;   the  shield 

Of  thine  omnipotence, 
Against  the  utmost  power  of  men, 
Is  still  my  sure  defence. 

5  They  wrest  my  every  word, 

And  for  my  ruin  plot; 
This  constitutes  their  every  aim, 
And  forms  their  every  thought. 

6  All  secretly  they  meet 

My  trembling  steps  to  trace  ; 
Thirsting,  in  ambush,  for  my  blood. 
Around  my  dwelling-place. 

7  But  shall  their  guilt  escape, 

Nor  vengeance  ever  come  1 
Lord  !  thrust  them  in  thine  anger  down, 
To  meet  their  final  doom. 

S  Be  pleased  to  reckon  all 

My  wandering  steps,  O  Lord  ; 
Yea,  in  thy  bottle  put  my  tears, 
And  in  thy  book  record. 


124  P8AUI8. 

9   Whene'er  I  call  on  thee 

My  routed  foes  shall  fall : 
I  know  it,  for  the  Lord  my  God 
Is  with  me  when  I  call. 

10  In  God  I  trust,  and  in 

His  promises  rely  ; 
Yea,  in  thy  promised  grace  I'll  still 
Exult,  O  thou  Most  High. 

11  In  God,  the  mighty  God, 

I'll  place  my  confidence; 
Nor  do  I  fear  man's  utmost  power, 
With  God  for  my  defence. 

12  The  vows  I  made  to  thee, 

In  my  distressful  days, 

O  I  will  gladly  pay,  in  songs 

Of  gratitude  and  praise. 

13  For  thou  hast  saved  me,  Lord, 

From  stumbling  and  from  death; 
To  the  blest  land  of  light  and  life 
Directing  all  my  path. 

PSALM  LVII.      C.  M. 

1  T£E  merciful  to  me,  O  God, 

Be  merciful  to  me. 
Thou  art  my  refuge  and  my  hope, 
Trembling  I  flee  to  thee. 

2  Yea,  underneath  thy  shadowing  wings, 

I  will  securely  hide, 
Till  all  these  clouds  are  past,  and  thou 
Hast  quelled  the  wicked's  pride. 

3  I'll  call  on  God  the  Lord  Most  High, 

Whose  "race  will  still  extend. 


PSALMS,  L25 


Whatever  ills  surround  me  now, 
Deliverance  in  the  end. 

4  His  loving-kindness  and  his  truth 

From  heaven  the  Lord  will  show, 
To  rescue  me,  and  to  confound 
My  unrelenting  foe. 

5  I  spend  my  days  and  nights  with  men 

As  lions  fierce  and  strong ; 
Like  spears  and  arrows  are  their  teeth, 
Like  a  sharp  sword  their  tongue. 

6  Be  thou  exalted,  O  my  God, 

Above  the  starry  sky ; 
And  let  thy  glory  overspread 
The  earth,  O  thou  Most  High  ! 

7  They  spread  their  net  across  my  path, 

And  bowed  my  spirit  down  : 
Into  the  pit  they  dug  for  me 

Lo  !   they  themselves  are  thrown  ! 

8  O  God,  my  heart  is  now  prepared 

A  lofty  song  to  sing, 
To  sing  loud  anthems  to  the  praise 
Of  heaven's  exalted  King. 

9  Awake,  my  slumbering  soul,  awake  ; 

Awake  my  harp  and  lyre  ; 
The  early  dawn  shall  hear  my  song, 
And  its  first  notes  inspire. 

10  'Mong  distant  nations  I  will  sing 
Thy  praises,  O  my  God  ! 
I'll  sound  the  grateful  hymn  of  prai?e. 
O'er  all  the  world  abroni1. 
L  2 


126  PSALMS. 

11  For  sure,  thy  loving-kindness,  Lord, 

The  lofty  heavens  transcends  ; 
And  far  above  the  fleecy  clouds 
Thy  faithfulness  extends. 

12  Be  thou  exalted,  O  my  God, 

Above  the  starry  sky, 
And  let  thy  glory  overspread 
The  earth,  O  thou  Most  High. 

PSALM  LVIII.       C.  M. 

1  l"IOES  justice  regulate  your  speech, 

Ye  who  have  high  command  1 
And  are  your  sentences  upright, 
Ye  judges  of  the  land  1 

2  Nay ;  to  the  peaceful  in  the  land 

Ye  wrongfully  dispense, 
What  ye  have  secretly  devised, 
Mischief  and  violence. 

3  Even  from  the  moment  of  their  birth 

The  wicked  go  astray ; 
Delighting  in  deceit  and  lies, 
Even  from  their  natal  day. 

4  The  venom  of  their  poisonous  tongue 

Is  like  the  deadly  snake's, 
Or  the  deaf  adder's,  whose  dull  ear 
No  charmer's  voice  awakes. 

5  Like  th'  adder,  shutting  close  ber  ear 

Against  the  sweetest  sound, 
Alike  untameable  are  they. 
Alike  envenomed  found, 


1  27 

1  God,  beat  out  the  thickset  teeth 

From  their  wide-open in-j  j.iws  ; 

Lord,  break  the  roaring  lions'  tusk>. 

And  save  me  from  their  paws. 

7   Like  torrents  let  them  disappear. 
That  for  a  moment  flow. 
And  let  the  venomed  shafts  they  shoot 
Fall  pointless  from  theh>bow. 

B   Like  slimy  snail  that  melts  away, 
So  let  them  all  become. 
Or  like  th'  untimely  birth  that  dies 
Within  the  mother's  womb. 

9  Before  our  pots  have  felt  the  tire, 
Tempests  shall  sweep  away 
The  crackling  fuel — the  dry  thorns 
That  on  the  way-side  lay. 

10  And  when  he  sees  the  wicked  doomed 

Such  recompense  to  meet, 
The  righteous  shall  rejoice,  and  in 
Their  blood  shall  wash  his  feet. 

11  And  men  shall  say,  -For  righteous  ipen 

There  is  a  rich  reward  ; 
There  is  a  just  Judge  in  the  earth, 
The  creat  and  misfhtv  Lor'." 


1 


PSALM  LIX.       C.  M. 

TAELIVER  me,  O  Lord  mg 

From  all  my  enemies  ; 
Defend  me  from  their  rancorous 
\nd  riercc  hostilities. 


128  PSALMS. 

2  From  lawless  and  from  wicked  men, 

Deliver  me,  O  God  ; 
And  save  me  from  the  hands  of  men 
Of  violence  and  blood. 

3  For  lo  !  they  lie  in  wait  for  me  ; 

Yea,  men  of  might  combine 
To  work  my  ruin  and  my  death, 
For  no  offence  of  mine. 

4  Yes,  O  my  God,  though  no  misdeed 

Or  crime  has  stained  my  hands, 
They  plot  against  me,  and  combine 
In  ever  watchful  bands. 

5  Arise,  Lord  God  of  Hosts!   the  God 

Whom  Israel's  tribes  revere ; 
Compassionate  my  wretched  state, 
And  for  my  help  appear. 

6  Thy  judgments  and  thy  wrath  display 

On  all  ungodly  men; 
Nor  pity  those  whose  chief  delight 
Is  treachery  and  sin. 

7  Each  night  returning  to  their  post, 

With  malice  fierce  and  foul, 
They  compass  all  the  city  round, 
Like  ravening  dogs,  and  growl. 

8  They  belch  out  slander  from  their  throats  ; 

Their  tongues  are  sharpened  swords; 
For  thus  they  say,  "  Who  hears  our  voice. 
And  who  regards  our  words?" 

9  But  thou,  O  Lord,  shalt  laugh  at  all 

The  efforts  of  their  pride  ; 
Their  heathenish  might  and  malice  thou 
Wilt  utterlv  deride. 


psa]  129 


Jo   To  thcr.  my  strong  support,  I'll  still 
The  grateful  anthem  raise  ; 
For  thou'rt  my  refuge,  and  the  source 
Of  never-failing  grace. 

1 1  The  Lord  will  go  before  my  face, 

To  guide  me  and  defend, 
And  of  my  persecutors  make 
Me  see  the  dismal  end. 

12  Afflict  and  scatter  them  abroad, 

Xor  slay  them  in  the  field  ; 
Lest  otherwise  men  should  forget 
Their  doom,  O  Lord,  our  shield. 

13  Yea,  let  them  all  be  captive  led 

Before  thy  people's  eyes, 
For  their  impiety  and  pride, 
Their  cursing  and  their  lies. 

14  In  wrath  consume  them  utterly, 

That  all  the  world  may  know, 
God  lules  in  Jacob,  and  is  King 
O'er  all  the  earth  below. 

15  Then  every  evening  let  them  come, 

With  malice  fierce  and  foul, 
To  compass  all  the  city  round, 
And,  like  fierce  dogs,  to  growl. 

16  Yea,  let  thein  be  as  ravening  dogs, 

Prowling  about  for  food, 
And  growling,  if  they  are  not  gorged 
With  carrion  and  with  blood. 

17  But  I  will  celebrate  thy  power 

In  songs  of  grateful  praise, 
Yea,  every  morning  I  will  sing 
Thy  never-failing  grace. 


130  PSALMS. 

18  For  thou  hast  been  a  lofty  tower 

Of  refuge  unto  me, 
To  which,  in  my  distressful  hour, 
I  could  securely  flee. 

19  O  God,  my  strength,  I'll  sing  to  Thee, 

My  high,  protecting  tower; 
Thy  grace  has  still  been  my  support 
In  every  evil  hour. 

PSALM  LX.       S.  If. 

1  T   ORD,  thou  hast  cast  us  off, 

And  scattered  us  abroad  ; 
We  tremble  underneath  thy  frown  ; 
Return  to  us,  O  God  ! 

2  In  wrath  thou  hast  convulsed 

And  broken  up  the  land  : 
O  heal  its  breaches  ;  for  it  quakes 
Beneath  thy  heavy  hand. 

3  Thy  people  thou  hast  caused 

Most  bitter  things  to  know  ; 
And  thou  hast  made  us  drink  the  wine 
Of  trembling  and  of  woe. 

4  Yet  thou  hast  given  thy  saints 

A  banner  to  display, 
Thy  truth  to  cheer  their  drooping  souls 
In  their  distressful  day. 

5  O  let  thy  saints  beloved 

Thy  great  salvation  share; 
Save  us  by  thine  almighty  power, 
And  hear  our  humble  prayer. 

G  God  by  himself  hath  sworn, 
Nor  can  his  promise  fail. 


MALMS* 

M  In  triumph  I  will  portion  out 
Sbechem  and  Buceoth*!  vale. 

?   Gilead's  fair  land  is  mine, 
Manasseh's  sons  obey  ; 
While  Ephraim's  thousands  form  my  guard. 
And  Judah  bears  the  if 

S   Proud  Moab.  thou  shalt  hold 
A  basin  for  my  hands; 
In  triumph  I  will  throw  m<*  shoe 
O'er  Edom's  subject  lands. 

y  The  hosts  of  Palestine 
I  will  entirely  rout. 
And  o'er  their  battle-fields  I'll  raise 
The  loud  triumphant  shout." 

10  But  who  will  guide  my  way 

O'er  yonder  frowning  wall. 
Where  still  in  bold  defiance  stands 
Edom's  proud  capital  ? 

11  Lord,  thou  hast  cast  us  off, 

And  scattered  us  afar ; 
Nor  do^t  thou,  as  of  old,  go  forth 
With  Israel's  hosts  to  war. 

12  Pity  our  deep  distress  ; 

Compassionate  our  grief, 
And,  since  no  mortal  arm  can  save, 
Do  thou  vouchsafe  relief. 

13  Yes!  we  shall  vanquish  stiil. 

Through  thy  resistless  might ; 
For  God  shall  trample  down  our  loeb. 
And  conquer  in  the  fight. 


131 


132 


PSALM  CVIII.       S.  M. 


1  ~\1Y  heart  is  now  prepared 

A  joyful  song  to  sing  ; 
My  soul  is  ready  now  to  hymn 
Thy  praise,  O  God,  my  King. 

2  Awake,  ye  sounding  harp 

And  joy-inspiring  lyre; 
The  early  dawn  shall  hear  my  song 
And  its  first  notes  inspire. 

3  'Mong  all  the  tribes  of  men, 

Lord,  I  will  sing  thy  praise, 
And  far  away  in  heathen  lands, 
The  joyful  anthem  raise. 

4  For  yonder  starry  heavens 

Thy  mercy  far  transcends, 
And  high  above  the  fleecy  clouds 
Thy  faithfulness  extends. 

5  Be  thou  exalted  high 

Above  the  heavens,  O  God, 
And  let  thy  glory  be  proclaimed 
O'er  all  the  earth  abroad. 

6  O  let  thy  saints  beloved 

Thy  great  salvation  share,  &c. 

N.  B.  —The  rest  of  this  psahn  the  same  as  the  60th,  from  v.  o± 

PSALM  LXI.       S.  M. 

1   £~\   HEAR  my  prayer  and  cry, 
VJ  Thou  High  and  Holy  One ! 
For  overwhelmed  and  in  distress, 
I  call  on  thee  alone. 


P8AL]  133 


m'l  utmost  verge, 
A  suppliant.  Lord,  I  stand  ; 
O  lead  me  to  that  Rock  whose  shade 
cheer  the  weary  land. 

3  My  refuge  thou  hast  been 
In  many  an  evil  hour, 
And.  when  assailed  by  bitterest  foes, 
My  strong  protecting  tower. 

-1  Therefore,  w  ithin  thy  tent, 
Grant  me  a  safe  abode; 
And  let  me  hide  myself  beneath 
Thy  shadowing  wings,  O  God. 

5  Sure  thou  hast  heard  my  vows. 

And  given  me  to  possess 
The  rich  inheritance  of  those 
Who  know  thy  saving  grace. 

6  The  king's  life  thou  prolong'st, 

That  his  blest  reign  may  be 
Extended  still  from  age  to  age. 
Even  to  eternity. 

7  Before  th'  Almighty  God, 

He  lives  and  reigns  for  aye  ; 
Thy  loving-kindness  is  his  crown, 
Thy  faithfulness  his  stay. 

8  Therefore  I'll  praise  thy  name, 

And  311  thy  grace  record. 
And  daily  pay  my  solemn  vows 
For  ever  to  the  Lord. 


134  PSALMS. 


PSALM  LXII.       L.  M. 

1  AN  God  my  soul  expecting  waits, 

Like  servants  at  their  master's  gates; 
He  only  all  my  sorrow  knows ; 
From  Him  alone  salvation  flows. 

2  My  Saviour  and  my  rock  is  He  ; 
I'll  fear  no  earthly  enemy. 
Protected  by  Jehovah's  arm, 
How  should  I  feel  the  least  alarm  1 

3  Why  seek  ye  still  my  overthrow, 
Shouting  aloud  at  every  blow, 
As  if  I  were  a  bending  wall, 

Or  rampart  tottering  to  its  fall  1 

4  Delighting  in  deceit  and  lies, 
My  utter  downfal  they  devise  ; 

For  while  they  bless,  with  malice  foul, 
They  curse  me  from  their  very  soul. 

5  Still  in  my  God  is  all  my  hope, 
'Tis  He  that  bears  my  spirit  up  : 
My  Saviour  and  my  rock  is  He, 
The  tower  to  which  I  ever  flee. 

6  Why  then  should  ought  my  soul  alarm, 
Shielded  by  God's  almighty  arm  1 

My  glorious  rock,  my  hiding  place, 
My  Saviour  is  the  God  of  grace. 

7  Ye  people,  amid  all  your  woes, 
Still  in  the  Lord  your  trust  repose; 
Pour  out  your  hearts  to  Him  in  days 
Of  trouble  ;  God's  our  hiding-place, 


135 


0  trust  in  men  of  low  estate 
Is  vain  ;   'tis  vain  to  trust  the  great: 
For  both,  when  in  the  scales  they  lie, 
Are  light  as  vapour  in  the  sky. 

9  Trust  not,  nor  let  your  heart  be  vain, 
In  rapine's  or  oppression's  gain  ; 
And  when  your  stores  of  wealth  increase, 
Then  let  your  hearts  esteem  them  less. 

10  Once  hath  the  Lord  from  heaven  declared, 
And  twice  have  I  with  reverence  heard, 
This  voice  from  the  eternal  throne, 

"  That  power  belongs  to  God  alone." 

1 1  Also  with  thee,  O  God  of  grace  ! 
Are  boundless  loving-kindnesses; 
For  as  the  deeds  that  each  hath  done, 
So  thou  rewardest  every  one. 

PSALM  LXIII.       L.  M. 

1  r\  LORD,  thou  art  my  God  alone, 

Each  morn  I  seek  thy  blessed  face  ; 
For  thee,  thou  High  and  Holy  One, 
My  spirit  thirsts  and  pants  and  prays. 

2  Yea,  in  a  parched  and  dreary  land, 

Where  no  refreshing  waters  flow, 
I  long  within  thy  courts  to  stand, 
And  in  thy  presence  humbly  bow  : 

3  That  I  may  there  behold  thy  power, 

And  see  thy  glory  all  displayed, 
As  I  have  seen  thee  heretofore, 

Within  thy  temple's  blissful  shade. 

4  Since  better  is  thy  saving  grace 

Than  life  itself  or  length  of  days, 


ISO  PSA  I 

Long  as  I  run  my  earthly  race, 
My  lips  shall  celebrate  thy  praise. 

5  Yea,  till  my  last  and  dying  day, 

Thy  praises  I  will  still  proclaim, 
And  when  I  lift  my  hands  to  pray, 
Plead  in  thine  all-prevailing  name. 

6  With  livelier  joy  my  heart  is  filled, 

To  meditate  on  thee  by  night, 
Than  all  earth's  choicest  luxuries  yield; 
Thy  praise  inspires  more  pure  delight. 

7  For  thou  hast  been  my  constant  stay, 

And  succour,  O  thou  King  of  kings  ! 
Therefore  I'll  sing  for  joy  for  aye, 
Beneath  thine  overshadowing  wings. 

8  To  thee  I  cleave  ;  thy  mighty  hand 

Sustains  me,  wheresoe'er  I  dwell ; 
But  those  who  seek  my  ruin  and 
Destruction  shall  descend  to  hell. 

9  A  pray  to  the  devouring  sword, 

In  bloody  combat  they  shall  fall  ; 
And  their  dead  bodies,  uninterred, 
Be  eaten  by  the  foul  jackal. 

10  In  God  the  king  shall  still  rejoice, 

With  all  who  reverence  his  name  ; 
When  they  who  love  and  follow  lies, 
Are  doomed  to  silence  and  to  shame. 

PSALM  LXIV.       C.  M. 

1   T   ORD,  hear  the  voice  of  my  complaint. 
Expressive  of  my  woes; 
Preserve  me  from  the  hand  of  fierce 
And  formidable  foes. 


P8AJ  137 

3   From  wicked  men's  cabals  and  plots 
Do  thou  thy  servant  hide  ; 
And  from  their  wild  and  lawless  bands, 
For  my  escape  provide. 

3  On  my  destruction  set,  their  tongues 

They  whet,  like  murderous  swords  ; 

And  on  their  bent  bows  they  affix 

Their  shafts — envenomed  words — 
n 

4  All  secretly  and  suddenly 

To  shoot  the  man  of  God  ; 
Boldly  they  shoot  at  him,  nor  fear 
The  Lord's  avenging  rod. 

5  Confirmed  in  wickedness,  their  snares 

With  joint  consent  they  lay  ; 
And  M  Who  is  there  that  seeth  us  V 
They  impiously  say. 

0   Devising  wicked  schemes,  they  boast 
Their  own  consummate  art: 
For  deep — unfathomably  deep — 
Is  their  deceitful  heart. 

7  But  God  shall  shoot  at  them  betimes; 

An  arrow  from  his  bow 
Shall  smite  and  wound  them  suddenly. 
And  all  their  schemes  o'erthrow. 

8  Yea,  their  own  self-condemning  words. 

On  their  own  heads  shall  fall, 
Bringing  destruction  down  from  heaven, 
And  vengeance  on  them  all. 

9  And  all  who  see  their  doom  shall  flee. 

Or  trembling  and  in  fear, 
Confess,  "  This  is  the  work  of  God  ; 
Jehovah's  hand  is  here  !" 
M  2 


138  PSALMS. 

10    Yes  !   in  the  Lord  the  righteous  man 
Rejoicing  still  shall  trust: 
God  is  the  refuge  and  the  joy 
And  glory  of  the  just, 

PSALM  LXY\       L.M. 


1  pRAISE  for  thy  God,  O  Zion,  waits, 

Zion,  within  thy  temple-gates  ; 
To  thee,  O  thou  that  hearest  prayer, 
All  tribes  shall  come  and  worship  there. 

2  Lord,  our  transgressions,  we  confess, 
Are  great,  o'erwhelming,  numberless; 
But  thou  hast  cleansed  our  souls  within. 
And  freely  pardoned  all  our  sin. 

3  Happy  are  they — yea  happier  far 
Than  prosperous  worldlings  ever  are — 
Whom  thou  hast  chos'n,  and  made  to  dwell 
On  Zion's  blest  and  holy  hill. 

4  Assembled  there  to  pay  our  vows, 
And  taste  the  goodness  of  thy  house, 
Lord,  fill  us  from  thy  holy  place 
With  thy  soul-satisfying  grace ! 

5  So  wondrous,  Lord,  and  gracious  are 
Thine  answers  to  thy  people's  prayer, 
Far  distant  lands  shall  trust  in  thee, 
And  dwellers  on  the  farthest  sea. 

6  Girt  with  almighty  power,  thy  hand 
Plants  the  vast  mountains  on  the  land  ; 
Thy  voice  to  the  loud  waves  speaks  peace, 
And  bids  the  people's  tumults  cease. 

?  Remotest  tribes  are  thrilled  with  fear, 
When  in  the  heavens  thy  signs  appear ; 


139 

Anon  Thou  uttercst  thy  dread  voice, 
And  east  and  west  alike  rejoice. 

-    Thou  vi>itest  with  refreshing  rain 
The  earth,  enriching  it  amain; 
Abundantly  thy  streamlets  flow, 
Preparing  corn  for  man  to  grow. 

9   Thus,  gracious  God,  thy  bounteous  hand 
Softens,  revives,  and  heals <the  land; 
And  with  mild  showers  of  blissful  rain, 
Makes  all  her  valleys  bloom  again. 

10  Thou  blessest,  Lord,  the  earth's  fair  spring, 
When  every  tree  is  blossoming  ; 

Th'  advancing  year  thy  bounties  crown, 
And  all  thy  clouds  drop  fatness  down. 

1 1  Even  where  the  flocks  half-famished  stray, 
To  distant  pastures  far  away. 

The  fertilizing  shower  descends 

To  cheer  the  waste  and  dreary  lands. 

12  Then  are  the  little  hills  made  glad  ; 
With  bleating  flocks  the  plains  are  clad  ; 
The  vales  afford  their  rich  supply  : 
And  all  creation  shouts  for  joy. 

PSALM  LXVI.       ?s. 

1  T   ET  the  eaith,  with  loud  acclaim. 

To  the  Lord  her  anthem  raise, 
And  extol  his  glorious  name 
In  one  lofty  song  of  praise. 

2  Let  her  kindreds  all  ascribe 

Glory  to  her  heavenly  king  , 
And  let  every  tongue  and  tribe 
T.u-fully  his  praises  sing. 


!4<»  psa  i 

3  Waving,  "  God  of  majesty, 

Fearful  in  thy  works  art  thou; 
Through  thy  mighty  power  to  thee 
All  thine  enemies  shall  bow. 

4  Every  tiibe  and  every  tongue 

Shall,  submissive  at  thy  throne, 
Raise  the  universal  song, 
Glory  to  the  Lord  alone." 

5  Come,  Jehovah's  works  survey  ! 

AH  his  acts  to  Abraham's  line, — 
How  magnificent  are  they, 
How  transcendantly  divine! 

G  Lo  !   to  dry  land  was  the  sea 

Turned  at  his  almighty  word  ; 
And  on  foot  through  Jordan,  we 
Marched,  rejoicing  in  the  Lord. 

7  By  his  might  he  rules  for  aye ; 

Watchful,  all  mankind  he  sees; 
Let  not  sinners  think  that  they 
Can  resist  his  high  decrees. 

8  Praise  our  God  ;  your  voices  raise 

Louder  still,  ye  people  all; 
He  has  lengthened  out  our  days, 
And  delivered  us  from  thrall. 

9  Thou  hast  tried  us,  Lord,  and  hast 

Through  the  fiery  furnace  brought; 
Like  the  silver  that  is  cast 
Into  the  refiner's  pot. 

10  Thou  hast  caused  us  to  be  made 
Captive  in  the  hunter's  snare  ; 
Heavy  burdens  thou  hast  laid 
On  our  loins  and  made  us  bear. 


n  i  m,  141 

1  l    Thou  hast  caused  our  enemies 
To  subject  and  bring  us  low  ; 
Through  the  tire  and  through  the  seas 
We  1.  .  :n  grief  and  woe. 

12  But  in  mercy.  Lord,  thou  hast 

By  thine  own  Almighty  hand, 
Brought  us  safely  forth  at  last 
To  a  rich  and  plenteous  land. 

13  Therefore  to  thy  blessed  house 

1  will  my  burnt-offerings  bring; 
I  will  gladly  pay  my  vows 

Unto  thee,  my  God  and  King. 

14  Yes,  the  solemn  vows  that  I 

Vowed  in  my  distressful  day. 
Unto  thee,  O  thou  Most  High, 
I  will  in  thy  temple  pay, 

15  Whole  burnt-sacrifices  there 

Shall,  with  clouds  of  incense,  Ma 
Field  and  fold  shall  both  prepare 
Offerings  for  thy  holy  place. 

16  Come,  all  ye  who  fear  the  Lord, 

Ye,  his  people,  hearken  ye  : 
I  will  gratefully  record 

All  that  he  hath  done  for  me. 

17  Humbly  to  the  Lord  I  prayed, 

In  my  dark,  and  dismal  days; 
Graciously  he  lent  his  aid, 

And  my  tongue  proclaimed  his  praise. 

18  If  my  heart  and  soul  within, 

Caught  in  guilt  and  folly's  snare, 
Had  approved  and  followed  sin, 

God  would  not  have  heard  mv  prayer 


14*4?  PSALMS. 

19  But  the  Lord  hath  surely  heard, 

And  hath  granted  my  request  ; 
Ever-blessed  be  the  Lord  ! 
Be  his  name  for  ever  blest ! 

20  From  my  supplicating  voice 

He  has  never  turned  his  face, 
But  has  made  me  taste  the  joys 
Of  his  mercy  and  his  grace. 

PSALM  LXVII.      7s. 

1  piTY  us,  O  God  of  grace  ! 

Bless  us,  source  of  love  divine  ! 
Cause  the  brightness  of  thy  face 
On  our  darkened  souls  to  shine. 

2  So  shall  thy  most  blessed  ways 

Over  all  the  earth  be  known, 
And  thy  rich  and  saving  grace 
To  its  every  nation  shown. 

3  Let  thy  people  praise  thee,  Lord  ; 

Let  them  all  their  voices  raise  ; 
Let  all  men  with  one  accord 
Gladly  join  their  song  of  praise. 

4  For  in  perfect  righteousness 

Thou  shalt  o'er  thy  people  reign, 
And  thy  government  of  peace 
Reach  o'er  all  the  tribes  of  men. 

5  Let  thy  people  praise  thee,  Lord; 

O  let  all  thy  people  praise  ! 
Surely  shall  the  earth  afford 
Plenty  in  these  happy  days. 

6  Yes!  our  own,  our  father's  God- 

He  will  bless  us  evermore, 


1 1;3 


And  o'er  all  the  earth  ahroad 
Men  shall  fear  him  and  adore. 

PSALM  LXVIU.       L.  M. 

1  r  I  ''HE  Lord  ariseth  in  his  might, 

And  all  his  foes  are  pul  to  flight, 
Yea,  those  that  hate  Him,  in  dismay 
At  his  dread  presence,  flee  away. 

2  As  smoke  is  scattered  all  abroad, 
So  dost  thou  scatter  them,  O  God  ! 
As  the  wax  melts  before  the  fire. 
The  wicked  at  thy  frown  expire. 

3  But  all  the  righteous  shall  rejoice 
Before  the  Lord  with  gladsome  voice, 
And  thus  exultingly  shall  sing 

In  honour  of  their  heavenly  king. 

4  "  Sing  ye  to  God  !   his  great  name  praise  ! 
A  highway  for  the  Almighty  raise, 

Who  through  the  desert  rides!      His  name, 
Jehovah  !  let  his  saints  proclaim  f 

5  A  father  to  the  orphan  race, 
Avenger  of  the  widow's  case, 

Is  God  who  dwells  in  heaven  above, 
The  land  of  holiness  and  love. 

6  A  home  he  gives  the  desolate  ; 

The  bondsmen  from  their  wretched  state 
Raises  to  wealth  ;  but  rebel  bands 
He  leaves  to  dwell  in  arid  lands. 

"i    O  God,  when  underneath  the  shroud 
Of  darkness  and  the  fierv  cloud; 


144  PSALMS. 

Thou  marchedst  through  the  wilderness, 
Before  thy  people  Israel's  face  ; 

8  Mount  Sinai,  trembling,  shook  for  fear, 
Because  the  God  of  heaven  was  near ; 
The  vast  earth  quaked,  and  torrents  fell 
Before  the  God  of  Israel. 

9  Thou,  God,  a  plenteous  rain  didst  send 
Upon  that  parched  and  thirsty  land, 
Thine  own  inheritance  to  cheer, 
When  fainting  in  the  desert  drear. 

10  And  there  th'  assembled  tribes  abode 
In  peace  and  safety,  gracious  God  ; 
Provided  with  a  rich  supply, 
Through  thy  great  liberality. 

1 1  Jehovah  gives  the  word  of  grace 
To  Israel's  expecting  race, 
And  multitudes  declare  abroad 
The  mighty  acts  of  Jacob's  God. 

12  Kings  and  their  hosts  are  put  to  flight; 
They  flee  before  the  God  of  might ! 
And  they  who  in  the  tents  abide 

The  victor's  precious  spoils  divide. 

13  Though  lately  clothed  in  poor  attire, 
And  covered  o'er  with  dust  and  mire, 
Behold  them  now,  like  the  dove's  wing, 
With  gold  and  silver  glistening  ! 

14  Yea,  when  Jehovah,  in  his  might, 
Kings  and  their  armies  puts  to  flight, 
Each  Hebrew  maid  shines  like  the  snow 
Glistening  on  Salmon's  lofty  brow. 


145 


15  Highest  amid  the  heathen's  lands, 
Sec,  yonder  mount  of  Bashan  stands, 
With  many  ■  summit  reared  on  high, 
And  towering  to  the  lofty  sky  ! 

16  Why,  O  ye  lofty  mountains,  why 
Do  ye  regard  with  envious  eve 

That  mount  where  God  delights  to  dwell, 
The  mighty  God  of  Israel  1 
i 

17  God  was  to  Israel  better  far 

Than  thousand  chariots  trained  for  war; 
God  was  amidst  them  in  their  coasts. 
Even  as  on  Sinai  with  his  hosts. 

18  Thou,  God,  ascending  up  on  high, 
Hast  captive  led  the  enemy ; 

Gifts  thou  hast  got  of  heavenly  grace, 
And  dwelt  amidst  a  rebel  race. 

19  Blest  be  the  Lord,  for  ever  blest 

Be  God,  who  saves  us  when  oppressed  ! 

Almighty  is  our  God  to  save, 

To  bring  deliverance  from  the  grave. 

20  Surely  the  Lord  will  overthrow 
And  crush  the  head  of  every  foe; 
A  speedy  and  a  direful  doom 
Upon  the  sinner's  head  shall  come  ! 

21  The  Lord  hath  said,  and  will  fulfil  ; 
"Even  as  of  old,  from  Bashan's  hill, 
I'll  bring  thee  back  in  triumph  yet, 
O  Jacob,  to  thine  ancient  seat. 

22  And  as  thou  marchedst  through  the  flood, 
So  shalt  thou  march  through  seas  of  blood, 


146  PSALMS. 

And  o'er  the  red  and  gory  plain 
Thy  dogs  shall  revel  on  the  slain." 

23  I  see  thy  marching,  mighty  God, 
To  Zion,  thy  beloved  abode  ; 

The  marching  of  my  God  and  King, 
Minstrels  and  singers  following. 

24  And  thus  they  sing  with  gladsome  voice, 
While  the  loud  timbrel  wakes  their  joy3, 
"  Ye  tribes  of  Israel's  chosen  race, 
Praise  ye  the  Lord,  the  God  of  grace  V7 

25  The  tribe  of  Benjamin  is  there, 

The  youngest  born,  his  father's  care; 
And  Judah  and  his  chiefs  are  by, 
And  Zebulon  and  Nephtali. 

26  Thy  God,  O  Zion,  hath  decreed 
Sufficient  strength  for  all  thy  need. 
Confirm  to  us  what  thou  hast  done, 
From  Zion,  O  thou  Holy  One ! 

27  So  shall  the  kings  of  many  a  land 
Submissive  yield  to  thy  command, 
And  choicest  presents  gladly  bring 
To  Israel's  exalted  King. 

28  Rebuke  the  wild  beast  of  the  reeds,* 
The  bulls  of  Bashan's  fiercest  breeds, 
With  all  the  lesser  herd  that  range 
On  heathen  lands  of  language  strange, 

29  Till  all  in  mute  submission  bring 
Their  willing  tribute  to  the  king: 
Yea,  scatter  thou,  O  God,  afar 
The  people  that  delight  in  war. 

*  The  crocodile,  the  symbol  of  Ecypt, 


MA]  14*3 

3U   Princes  in  Zion's  courts  shall  stand. 
As  suppliants  from  Egypt's  land  ; 
And  Ethiopia  shall  bring 
Her  offerings  to  our  God  and  Kin z 

31  Ye  kingdoms  of  the  nations,  raise 
Loud  anthems  to  Jehovah's  praise; 
To  Him  that  rides  above  the  heaven 
Be  endless  praise  and  glory  given. 

* 

32  Hark!   'tis  the  voice  of  God  !     It  swells 
In  louder  and  in  louder  peaK 

High  in  the  clouds  !     All  nature  sing 
Glory  to  Israel's  mighty  King! 

33  Dreadful  art  thou  when  thus,  O  God, 
Thou  travelled  in  thy  might  abroad  ! 
But  Israel's  God  will  still  afford 
Strength  to  his  people  !     Praise  the  Lord  ! 

PSALM  LXIX.       C.  M. 

1  gAVE  me,  O  Lord,  my  God,  for,  lo  f 

The  mighty  waters  roll, 
And  threaten,  with  their  rising  waves. 
To  overwhelm  my  soul. 

2  I  sink  in  deepest  mire,  wherein 

No  footing  can  be  found  ; 
Even  in  a  fathomless  abyss, 
Whose  waves  beset  me  round. 

3  Faint  with  my  calling  upon  thee, 

My  heart  is  parched  and  dry  ; 
And  dimness,  while  I  look  for  God 
O'erspreads  mv  weaiv  eye 


148  PSALMS. 

4  For  those  who  hate  me  wrongfully 

Are  more  in  number  far 
Even  than  the  hairs  upon  my  head  : 
And  fierce  and  strong  they  are. 

5  And  through  their  wrathful  violence 

I  yield  them  as  their  prey, 
That  which  I  gained  not  by  deceit, 
?sor  took  by  force  away. 

6  O  God,  if  I  have  sinned,  thou  know'st 

All  mine  iniquity ; 
If  I  am  guilty,  sure  my  guilt 
Is  not  concealed  from  thee. 

7  O  God,  Jehovah,  Lord  of  hosts, 

Let  none  that  trust  in  thee 
Be  disappointed  of  their  hope 
And  their  reward  through  me. 

8  Yea,  O  thou  God  of  Israel, 

Let  none  that  love  thy  name 
And  seek  thy  blessed  face,  through  me 
Be  ever  brought  to  shame. 

9  For  I  have  borne  reproach  for  thee, 

And  suffered  deep  disgrace ; 
An  alien  to  my  kin  was  I, 
A  stranger  to  my  race. 

10  My  fervent  zeal  towards  thy  house 

Melted  my  flesh  away ; 
And  the  reproaches  cast  on  thee 
Oppressed  me  all  the  day. 

11  When  I  have  wept,  and,  fasting,  wrapped 

Sackcloth  around  my  frame, 
My  grief  was  turned  to  my  reproach, 
Their  by-word  I  became, 


149 


12  By  princes  I  have  been  traduced 

With  malice  loud  and  lepg, 
And  the  vile  drunkards  in  the  street* 
Made  me  their  jest  and  song. 

13  Still,  in  an  acceptable  time 

Let  my  prayer  come  to  thee, 
And  in  thy  truth  and  saving  grace, 
Benignly  answer  me.       , 

14  Deliver  me  out  of  the  mire 

Wherein  I  sink,  O  God, 
From  those  that  hate  me  rescue  me, 
Even  from  the  water-flood. 

15  Let  not  the  deep  o'erwhelm  me,  nor 

Its  waves  flow  over  me, 
Xor  let  the  all-devouring  pit 
Engulf  me  utterly. 

16  Hear  me,  O  Lord,  for  thou  art  good, 

And  kind  are  all  thy  ways  ; 
Yea,  in  thy  great  grace  lift  on  me 
Thy  reconciled  face. 

17  Nor  in  thine  anger  turn  away 

From  me,  thy  servant,  Lord, 
But  in  my  straits,  O  let  me  hear 
Thy  soul-reviving  word. 

18  Draw  nigh  unto  me,  to  redeem 

And  from  my  foes  to  save  ; 
For  many  are  my  enemies, 
And  cruel  as  the  grave. 

l(i  Thou  know'st  my  ignominious  stale, 
And  my  reproach  and  shame ; 
Thou  know'st  my  enemies,  how  they  hate 
And  persecute  my  name. 
'   N  2 


150  PSALMS. 

20  Repioach  hath  hroke  my  heart,  and  grief 

Wasted  my  shattered  frame  ; 
I  looked  for  friends  and  comforters, 
But  none  to  pity  came. 

21  Nay,  foi  my  food  they  gave  me  gall; 

And  when  I  would  have  quaffed 
The  cooling  stream,  they  offered  me 
A  nauseating  draught. 

22  Lord,  let  their  table  prove  their  snare, 

And  let  their  wealth  become 
A  trap  to  catch  their  heedless  feet, 
And  hasten  on  their  doom. 

23  Let  darkness  overspread  their  eyes, 

And  cause  their  loins  to  quake; 
And  let  thy  wrath  with  dire  awards 
Their  great  guilt  overtake. 

24  Around  their  mansions  and  their  tents 

Let  desolation  reign  ; 
Within  their  ruined  walls  let  no 
Inhabitant  remain. 

25  Because  they  persecute  the  man 

Who  mourns  beneath  thy  rod, 
And  aggravate,  with  cruel  wrongs, 
Affliction's  heavy  load. 

26  Award  them  double  punishment 

For  all  their  wickedness  ; 
Nor  let  them  e'er  attain  the  bliss 
Of  thy  pure  righteousness. 

27  Out  of  thy  book  of  life  let  them 

Be  blotted  out  for  aye, 
Ne'er  to  be  numbered  with  the  just 
In  the  great  judgment  day. 


PSALMS.  151 

28  But  I  am  poor  and  faint  beneath 

Oppression's  bitter  rod  ; 
Let  thy  salvation  raise  me  up, 
My  Saviour  and  my  God. 

29  So  shall  I  celebrate  with  joy 

Jehovah's  blessed  name, 
And  in  loud  songs  of  thanksgiving 
His  wondrous  grace  pn^laim. 

30  And  surely  this  shall  prove  to  God 

More  acceptable  far 
Than  whole  burnt-oflerings  of  bulls, 
Or  choicest  cattle  are. 

31  The  just,  beholding  the  result, 

Shall  sing  with  glad  accord, 
For  joy,  for  it  shall  cheer  your  hearts, 
O  ye  who  seek  the  Lord. 

32  For  God  regards  th'  afflicted  ones, 

And  listens  to  their  cry  ; 
Nor  will  he  leave  his  saints  to  pine 
In  bonds  and  misery. 

33  Let  heaven  and  earth  in  joyful  strains 

Proclaim  Jehovah's  praise  ; 
Let  ocean  and  its  finny  tribes 
Their  glad  hosannahs  raise. 

34  For  God  will  Zion  save,  and  in 

Remembrance  of  his  grace, 
The  ruined  cities  will  upbuild 
Of  Judah's  chosen  race. 

35  That  they  may  have  their  dwelling  there, 

And  their  possession  sure, 
To  them  and  to  their  seed  to  prove 
A  heritage  secure. 


152  PSALMS. 

36   Yea,  that  his  servants'  seed  may  have 
Their  permanent  abode 
On  Zion's  hill,  with  all  who  love 
The  blessed  name  of  God. 

PSALM  LXX.       C.  M. 

1  TJASTE  to  my  rescue,  O  my  God, 

For  I  am  sore  distressed  ; 
Lord,  hasten  to  my  help,  for  I 
Am  heavily  oppressed. 

2  Let  shame,  confusion  and  disgrace 

Quickly  alight  on  all 
Who  mercilessly  seek  my  life, 
Or  glory  in  my  fall. 

3  Let  disappointment  and  defeat 

Their  fitting  portion  be, 
Who  mock  and  cry  "Aha,  aha!" 
At  my  calamity. 

4  Let  all  who  seek  thee,  still  in  thee 

Rejoicingly  confide  ; 
Let  those  who  love  thy  grace  say  still 
"The  Lord  be  magnified." 

5  But  I  afflicted  am  and  poor; 

Lord,  haste  to  succour  me  ; 
Lord,  thou  alone  my  Saviour  art, 
O,  help  me  speedily. 

PSALM  CXX.*       C.  M. 

David's  prayer  while  in  exile. 

1   T   CRIED  to  God  in  my  distress  ; 
He  heard  and  set  me  free. 

*  See  Note  A,  r?.  !28 


PSALMS.  15^ 

M  From  lying  lips  and  guileful  tongues, 

0  Lord  deliver  me  !" 

2  What  shall  be  given  thee,  thou  false  tongue  1 

And  what  thy  fit  award  ! 
Sharp-pointed  bolts  of  fiery  flame 
Shot  by  th'  avenging  Lord. 

3  Alas  !   that  I  should  dwell  so  long 

With  Mesech's  lawless  bands; 
And  share  the  wandering  Arab's  tent, 
Amid  the  desert  lands  !* 

4  With  wrathful  and  contentious  men 

1  spend  my  weary  life  : 

My  voice  is  still  for  peace;  but  their's 
For  battle  and  for  strife. 

PSALM  CXXI.       L.  If. 

The  righteous  mans  confident  assurance  of  the  divine 
protection  at  all  times,  and  in  all  circiunstances. 

1  T^O   Zion's  hills  I  lift  my  eyes 

For  help  in  every  evil  hour ; 
For  God  who  formed  the  earth  and  skies 
Upholds  me  by  his  heavenly  power. 

2  Thy  weary  foot  shall  never  slide, 

W7hile  He  thy  soul  securely  keeps  ; 
Lo  !   Israel's  Guardian  and  Guide, 

He  never  slumbers,  no,  nor  sleeps.         /-• 

3  The  Lord  shall  keep  thee  night  and  day  ; 

And  under  his  protecting  shade, 
Nor  sun  nor  moon's  malignant  ray 

Shall  e'er  have  power  to  smite  thy  head. 

*  Sep  note  R.  Ps.  TOO. 


154  PSALMS. 

4  From  every  evil,  every  sin, 

Jehovah  shall  thy  soul  defend, 
Guarding  thy  going  out  and  in, 
From  henceforth  even  to  the  end. 

PSALM  CXXII.       L.  M. 

1  TVT^  neart  was  fiUed  with  holy  joys 

Soon  as  I  heard  the  welcome  voice, 
"  Come,  let  us  to  God's  blessed  house 
Ascend  and  pay  our  solemn  vows." 

2  Jerusalem,  thy  courts  again 

We  soon  shall  tread — a  joyful  train  ; 
All  hail,  Jerusalem,  to  thee, 
City  of  peace  and  unity  ! 

3  Thither  the  tribes  of  God  repair 
To  sing  Jehovah's  praises  there, 
According  to  the  statute  given 
To  Israel  by  the  God  of  heaven. 

4  For  there  the  thrones  of  judgment  stand 
For  Israel's  highly-favoured  land  ; 

The  thrones  of  David's  royal  race 
Are  there  upheld  in  righteousness. 

5  O  pray  ye  for  Jerusalem  ! 
Blessed  be  all  that  love  thy  name  ! 
Peace  be  within  thy  bulwarks  still, 
And  blessings  on  thy  citadel  ! 

6  Yea,  for  my  friends  and  brethren  dear 
Thy  peace  shall  be  my  constant  prayer ; 
And  for  the  house  of  God  in  thee 

I'll  seek  thy  great  prosperity.. 


P8AJ  Kfl  10T) 


P8ALM  CXXII.-       C.  M. 

The  Christian  mans  prayer  for  the  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Church. 

1    \TV  spirit  inwardly  rejoiced, 
My  wry  heart  was  £lad, 
When  thus  they  said.  M  Come,  let  us  go 
Up  to  the  house  of  Got?." 

»   Jerusnlem,  within  thy  gates, 
W«  shall  devoutly  stand  ; 
Blest  city  where  united  meet 
The  thousands  of  our  land. 

9  To  thee,  O  city  of  the  Lord, 
The  tribes  of  God  repair, 
According  to  divine  command, 
To  praise  Jehovah  there. 

4  For  there  the  thrones  of  judgment  stand  ; 

There  on  his  lofty  throne, 
Exalted  sits  in  righteousness 
King  David's  royal  son. 

5  O  ye  his  saints,  be  this  your  p^ 

'•  Peace  to  Jerusalem  ! 
And  may  prosperity  attend 
All  those  who  love  thy  name! 

6  4i  Peace  be  within  thy  bulwarks  still ;" 

And  may  thy  palaces, 
Whatever  ills  betide,  enjoy 
Prosperity  and  peace!" 

*  ^ee  note  A.  Ps.  132. 


156  PSALMS. 

7  Yea,  for  rny  friends  and  brethren's  sakes, 

My  fondest  wish  shall  be, 
"  May  peace  and  happiness  abide 
Jerusalem,  in  thee  !" 

8  And  for  thy  house,  O  Lord  our  God, 

To  whom  be  endless  praise, 
I'll  labour  for  Jerusalem's  peace 
And  welfare  all  my  days. 

PSALM  CXXIII.       L.  M. 

A  prayer  for  a  time  of  trouble. 

1  C\  THOU  that  dwellest  in  the  skies, 

To  thee  I  lift  my  longing  eyes! 
Yea,  as  obedient  servants  wait, 
All  watchful  at  their  master's  gate ; 

2  Or  as  the  humble  maiden  stands, 
Observant  of  her  mistress'  hands, 
We  wait  and  look  to  thee,  O  Lord, 
Until  deliverance  thou  afford. 

3  Have  mercy,  Lord,  we  humbly  pray, 
In  this  distressful,  wrathful  day  ! 
Lord,  pity  us,  and  we  shall  then 

Be  joyful,  though  the  scorn  of  men. 

4  For  men  of  wealth  and  men  of  pride 
Our  God-forsaken  state  deride  ; 
And  we  are  left  to  pine  forlorn, 
The  sinner's  mockery  and  scorn. 

PSALM  CXXIV.       P.  M. 

David's  song  of  praise  for  deliverance  from  his  ene- 
mies, 

1    XTAD  not  the  Lord  been  our  defence, 

When  men  of  wrath  and  violence— 
(Israel  may  truly  say  ;) 


psalms.  157 

Had  not  the  Lord  been  on  our  side, 

When  men  rose,  like  a  swelling  tide, 

To  sweep  us  quite  away: 

2  Then  had  our  fainting  spirits  failed  ; 
Then  had  the  rising  flood  prevailed, 

So  fiercely  did  it  roll ; 
And  the  proud  stream's  impetuous  waves 
Had  gulphed  us  in  untimely  gTaves, 

And  overwhelmed  oufsoul. 

3  To  God  who  wrought  our  freedom  then 
Even  from  the  teeth  of  wrathful  men, 

Be  endless  praises  given  : 
Like  bird  from  fowler's  snare  set  free, 
So  were  we  rescued,  Lord,  by  thee, 

Maker  of  earth  and  heaven. 

PSALM  CXXV.       C.  M. 

The  security  of  the  righteous  under  the  guardians! tip 
of  God, 

1  rPHEY  in  the  Lord  that  firmly  trust, 

Nor  murmur  at  his  will, 
Firm  and  unmoved  shall  ever  stand, 
Like  Zion's  holy  hill. 

2  Yea,  as  the  circling  mountains  stand 

Around  Jerusalem, 
God  will  surround  and  ever  bless 
All  those  that  love  his  name. 

3  For  o'er  the  just  man's  heritage 

The  wicked  shall  not  reign 
Forever,  lest  the  righteous  man 
Return  to  sin  again. 


15S  PSALMS. 

4  To  all  the  righteous,  blessed  Lord, 

Thy  heavenly  grace  impart  ; 
Yea,  bless  all  those  who  manifest 
Sincerity  of  heart. 

5  For  men  of  crooked  hearts  and  ways 

Jehovah  will  destroy  ; 
But  Israel's  heritage  is  peace, 
And  everlasting  joy. 

PSALM  CXXVL*       P.  M. 

Israel's  song  of  praise  for  deliverance  from  J3abylonish 
captivity. 


1 


\\7^HEN  God  our  freedom  wrought, 

With  high  uplifted  hand, 
And  Zion's  captives  brought 
Back  to  their  father  land  ; 
So  wondrous  did  the  tidings  seem, 
We  thought  at  first  'twas  all  a  dream. 

Joy  beamed  from  every  eye, 

Praise  flowed  from  every  tongue  ; 

Songs  of  sweet  melody 
To  God  were  duly  sung  : 

The  heathen  heard  it  with  surprise, 

And  thus  expressed  their  sympathies: 

"  Behold  the  Lord  hath  done 

Wonders  for  Judah's  race, 
And  their  redemption  won, 

From  all  their  enemies  !" 
"Yes,  Lord  !"  let  every  heart  reply, 
u  Thine  was  the  work,  but  our's  the  joy  !" 

*  See  note  A,  Vs.  L26. 


I>ALM-.  159 

•1  Bring  back  our  wanderers-, 

Like  torrents  swift  and  deep  ;• 
That  though  we  sow  in  tears, 

In  gladness  we  may  reap  ! 
Yea,  they  who  sow  in  tears  shall  come 
Rejoicing  to  the  harvest  home. 

PSALM  CXXVI.t       P.  M. 

Second  version — Paraphrase. 

1  "\Y"HEX  Jehovah  the  captives  of  Zion  set  free, 

And  brought  them  to  Zion's  fair  city  again, 
So  strange  did  it  seem  that  like  dreamers  were  we, 
And  we  laughed  and  sung  wildly  on  Babylon's 
plain. 

2  Then  the  heathen  amazed,  in  astonishment  cried, 

"  Great    things    for    his   captives   Jehovah    has 
done  !" 
"  Yes,  marvellous  things,"  with  joy,  we  replied, 
Let  his  people  exult  in  Jehovah  alone. 

3  As  the  streams  in  the  south  enliven  the  plain, 

"When  the  heat  and  the  drought  of  the  summer 
are  past, 
So,  Lord,  may  the  captives  of  Zion  again 
Return  to  enliven  her  desolate  waste. 

4  As  the  reaper  rejoices  when  harvest  is  come, 

Though  he  scatters  his  seed  with  a  sorrowful  eye, 
So,  Lord,  as  we  travel  to  Zion  our  home, 

May  our  seed-time  of  tears  bring  a  harvest  of  joy. 

♦  Fee  note  B,  Ps   320  3ec  note  C,  Ps.  196. 


160  PSALMS. 


PSALM  CXXVII.       C.  M. 

The  necessity  of  God's  blessing  to  crown  all  onr  under- 
takings  with  success. 

1  TJNLESS  Jehovah  build  the  house, 

And  the  whole  work  sustain, 
Our  building  will  be  fruitless  toil, 
And  all  our  labour  vain. 

2  Unless  the  Lord  the  city  guard 

With  his  almighty  arm, 
No  watchman  can  avail  to  ward 
The  citizens  from  harm. 

3  'Tis  vain  to  rise  at  early  dawn, 

And  late  to  rest  repair, 
To  eat  the  bread  of  sorrow,  and 
To  drink  the  cup  of  care. 

4  God  gives  his  people  needful  rest, 

And  blesseth  all  their  store  ; 
Yea,  'tis  his  blessing  makes  us  rich, 
And  his  appointment  poor.* 

5  Lo  !  children  are  a  heritage 

Of  those  who  love  the  Lord  ; 
The  offspring  of  the  fruitful  womb 
Is  his  ordained  reward.f 

6  As  arrows  in  a  warrior's  hand, 

So  are  our  children  dear; 
Thus  nobly  armed,  we  meet  our  foes, 
Nor  suffer  shame  nor  fear. 

*  See  note  A,  Ps.  127.  t  See  note  B,  Ps.  !2fr. 


P8AUI6.  L01 

psalm  cxxvirr.*     c.  M. 

The  duty  and  blessedness  of  pious  man  ied  persons. 

1  T)LEST  is  the  man  who  fears  the  Lord 

With  reverential  awe  : 
Whose  character  and  ways  accord 
With  his  most  holy  law, 

2  For  thou  shalt  peacefully  enjoy 

The  produce  of  thy  toil, 
And  providence  on  all  thy  paths 
Shall  ever  kindly  smile. 

3  Like  fruitful  vine,  within  thy  house, 

Thy  loving  wife  shall  be  ; 
Like  olive-plants  around  thy  board, 
Thy  youthful  family. 

4  Behold,  thus  happy  shall  he  be 

Who  fears  and  serves  the  Lord  ; 
And  God  from  Zion's  holy  hill 
His  blessing  shall  afford. 

5  Yea,  all  his  life  he  shall  behold 

Jerusalem's  happiness, 
A  numerous  offspring  of  his  own, 
And  Zion's  growing  peace. 

PSALM  CXXIX.j       C.  M. 

The  victory  of  the  church  over  all  her  enemies. 

*   "  T7^'LL  often  have  they  vexed  me  sore/' 
May  Israel  truly  say, 

*  Written  off  Cape  Horn,  lat.  59=  south,  23d  Sept.  IC 
'  See  note  A.  P?.  129. 

o  2 


162  PSALMS. 

"  Full  often  have  they  vexed  me  sore, 
Even  from  my  youthful  day. 

2  But,  blessed  be  my  guardian  God  ! 

Their  efforts  still  have  failed  ; 
Yea,  though  they  have  oppressed  me  sore, 
Yet  have  they  not  prevailed. 

3  The  plowers  plowed  upon  my  back, 

And  tore  my  flesh  away  ; 
They  made  their  furrows  long  and  deep, 
Full  many  a  painful  day.* 

4  But  God  the  righteous  rescued  me 

From  suffering  and  from  wrong ; 
He  burst  the  bands  and  broke  the  power 
Of  the  ungodly  throng." 

5  Shame  and  confusion  and  defeat 

O'erwhelm  all  Zion's  foes  ! 
Yea,  they  shall  be  like  blasted  corn 
That  withers  while  it  grows.f 

6  No  reapers  take  it  in  their  hands, 

Or  their  sharp  sickles  wield ; 
No  binders  gather  it  in  sheaves 
Upon  the  harvest  field. 

7  Neither  do  they  who  pass  along 

God's  blessing  there  implore, 
Or  say,  "  The  blessing  of  the  Lord 
Be  on  you  evermore." 

*  Sec  note  B,  Ps.  129.  f  See  note  C,  Ps.  129. 


PSALM-.  103 

PSALM  CXXX.*       S.  M. 

Prayer  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins. 

1  T   ORD>  from  the  depths  of  woe, 

I  cried  aloud  to  thee ; 
Lord,  hear  a  sinner's  humble  prayer, 
Hear  and  deliver  me.     * 

2  If  thou  should'st  mark  our  sins, 

And  all  our  guilt  record, 

Who  could  abide  the  scrutiny 

And  justice  of  the  Lord  1 

3  But  mercy  dwells  with  thee, 

That  men  may  seek  thy  face  ; 
My  soul  waits  for  the  Lord,  my  hope 
Is  in  his  word  of  grace. 

4  My  soul  waits  for  the  Lord 

With  more  desire  than  they, 
Who,  on  their  sleepless  beds  by  night, 
Watch  for  the  dawn  of  day. 

5  Let  Israel  hope  in  God, 

For  mercy  dwells  with  him. 
From  all  thy  sins,  O  Israel, 
Jehovah  shall  redeem. 

PSALM  CXXXI.f       L.  M. 

Gratitude  to  God  for  humility  of  mind. 

1   T  ORD,  thou  hast  weaned  my  heart  from  pride, 
And  taught  me  lowliness  of  mind  ; 

*  Written  off  Cape  Horn.  lat.  G0a  south,  25th  Sept.  1830. 
t  See  note  A,  Ps.  131. 


164  PSALMS. 

Once  to  be  rich  and  great  I  tried, 

But  now  I  leave  these  thoughts  behind. 

2  For  thou,  when  worldly  cares  and  joys 
Disturbed  my  peace  and  broke  my  rest, 
Didst  wean  my  soul  from  vanities, 
Like  infant  from  its  mother's  breast. 

3  Like  weaned  child,  my  soul,  by  thee, 
From  folly's  paths  was  turned  away. 

0  Israel,  in  the  Lord  trust  ye ; 
His  loving-kindness  lasts  for  aye. 

PSALM  CXXXIL       C.  M. 

Prayer  of  Solomon,  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  for 
the  maintenance  of  true  religion  and  civil  govern- 
ment in  the  land  of  Israel. 

1  T  ORD,  think  on  David  and  his  toils; 

How  to  the  Lord  he  sware, 
And  vowed  to  Jacob's  mighty  God 
A  dwelling-place  to  rear. 

2  u  I  will  not  go  into  my  house, 

Nor  on  my  bed  repose ; 

1  will  not  shut  my  eyes  to  sleep, 

No,  nor  my  eyelids  close: 

3  Till  for  the  Lord  Most  High  I  fix 

A  permanent  abode, 
And  find  a  constant  dwelling-place 
For  Jacob's  mighty  God."' 

4  Behold,  at  Ephratah  we  heard 

Of  Zion's  holy  ground, 
And  in  the  forest,  in  the  field, 
The  chosen  spot  we  found.* 

*  Sec  note  V  Ps   13*2 


PSALKC  IM 


5  To  God's  own  tabernacle  then 

We'll  joyfully  repair, 
And  at  his  footstool  raise  the  voice 
Of  undissembled  prayer. 

6  Arise,  O  mighty  God,  arise  I 

Enter  thy  place  of  rest, 
Thou  and  the  symbol  of  thy  power ! 
And  be  thy  people  blest. 

7  Let  all  thy  priests  and  ministers 

With  righteousness  be  clad  ; 
Let  all  thy  saints,  O  Lord,  rejoice 
And  be  exceeding  glad. 

8  For  thine  own  servant  David's  sake, 

O  take  not  thou  away 
The  sceptre  of  thy  chosen  one, 
Even  thine  anointed's  sway  f* 

9  To  David  God  hath  sworn  an  oath. 

Nor  is  his  promise  vain, 
"  Thine  offspring  I  will  surely  set 
Upon  thy  throne  to  reign. 

10  And  if  they  keep  my  covenant, 

And  all  my  laws  obey, 
Their  children  after  them  shall  reign 
With  never-ending  sway." 

11  For  God  hath  chosen  Zion's  hill 

For  his  desired  abode  ; 
"This  is  my  rest,  beloved  for  aye, 
The  dwelling-place  of  God. 

12  0  1  will  greatly  bless  her  food, 

Her  poor  with  bread  supply, 

*See  note  B,  Ps.  132. 


166  PSALMS. 

And  with  salvation  clothe  her  priests, 
And  fill  her  saints  with  joy. 

13  There  shall  the  horn  of  David's  power 

With  growing  glory  shine, 

For  I've  prepared  a  lamp  to  burn 

For  mine  anointed's  line.* 

14  His  enemies,  whate'er  they  be, 

I'll  cover  them  with  shame  ; 
But  David's  crown  shall  flourish  still 
With  everlasting  fame." 


PSALM  CXXXIII.       C.  M. 

The  beauty  and  excellence  of  brotherly  love, 

1  C\  'TIS  a  good  and  comely  thing 

For  brethren  to  agree, 
And  dwell  together  in  the  land 
In  peace  and  unity. 

2  'Tis  fragrant  as  the  ointment  poured 

Of  old  on  Aaron's  head  ; 
That  trickled  down  his  flowing  beard 
And  o'er  his  garments  spread. 

3  Refreshing  as  the  kindly  dew 

That  every  morn  distils 
On  Hermon's  elevated  heights 
And  Zion's  fruitful  hills. 

4  On  this  Jehovah  shall  bestow 

Blessings  in  richest  store; 
His  favour  in  this  mortal  state. 
And  life  for  evermore. 

*  See  note  C,  Ps.  130. 


167 


PSALM  CXXXIY.4        L.  M. 

Suitable  employment  for  the  ministerial  office. 

i     ALL  ye  who  stand  by  night  or  day, 

Within  his  courts  to  serve  the  Lord, 
Praise  ye  his  holy  name  alway 
"With  solemn  and  with  sweet  accord. 

2   O  lift  ye  up  your  hands  and  bless 

The  Lord  who  made  the  earth  and  sky. 
From  Zion,  his  own  holy  place, 
God  bless  you  all  eternally  ! 

PSALM  CXXXV.f       P.  If. 

A  song  of  praise  to  Jehovah  for  his  works  of  power  and 
mercy. 

1  HPHE  Lord's  great  name,  ye  people,  praise, 

All  ye.  his  saints,  your  voices  raise 

In  solemn  sweet  accord: 
And  ye  who  at  his  temple-gate, 
Or  in  his  courts  devoutly  wait. 

Sing  praises  to  the  Lord. 

2  Sing  praises:   O  'tis  sweet  to  sing 
The  praises  of  our  Heavenly  King  : 

His  goodness  knows  no  measure; 
In  Jacob  he  delights  to  dwell, 
And  he  hath  chosen  Israel 

For  his  peculiar  treasure. 

3  Great  is  the  Lord  our  God  alone: 
Xought  but  what  he  ordains  is  done 

In  heaven,  or  earth,  or  sea  ; 

■  See  note  A,  Ts.  194. 

*  Written  oil' Cape  Horn  to  the  southwestward 


168  PSALMS. 

Clouds  from  the  earth's  remotest  ends, 
Lightnings  and  rain  and  storm  he  sends 
From  his  vast  treasury. 

4  Egypt,  thy  people  saw  his  power, 
And  felt  it  in  that  awful  hour 

When  all  their  first-born  died: 
And  Pharaoh  and  his  lords  beheld 
His  wonders,  when,  in  Zoan's  field 

He  crushed  the  heathen's  pride. 

5  Great  nations,  kings  and  men  of  might, 
Og  and  the  royal  Amorite, 

Canaan's  polluted  race, 
He  swept  away  with  vengeful  hand, 
And  gave  their  cities  and  their  land 

For  Israel's  dwelling-place. 

6  O  Lord,  eternal  is  thy  name  ! 

Thy  power  and  grace  are  still  the  same, 

Unchangeable  and  sure  ! 
For  God  will  yet  avenge  his  saints, 
And  hear  their  sorrowful  complaints, 
Nor  shall  his  wrath  endure. 

7  The  idols  of  the  heathen  lands 
Are  but  the  work  of  human  hands, 

Of  gold  and  silver  wrought, 
Though  they  have  mouths,  we  hear  no  voice, 
They  cannot  see  us  with  their  eyes; 

We  speak,  they  hear  us  not. 

8  They  have  no  breath  or  life  at  all, 
No  power  to  help  us  when  we  call, 

Senseless  and  lifeless  clay: 
Their  makers  and  their  worshippers, 
And  he  that  trusts  them,  or  that  fears, 

Are  just  as  blind  as  they. 


MALMS.  I  n!i 

'J   O  Israel,  then.  Jehovah  I 

Ye  priests  and  ministers  of  his 

Bless  God  in  loud  accord  : 
The  Lord  bless,  ye  that  tear  his  name. 
In  Zion  and  Jerusalem 

He  dwells  ;  O  praise  the  Lord. 

PSALM  CXXXVI.       P.  M. 

A  song1  of  praise  to  Jehovahnfor  his  ivorks  of  poiver 
and  mercy. 

1  \"E  people,  praise  the  Lord; 

His  goodness  still  proclaim: 
Let  all.  with  glad  accord, 

Extol  his  blessed  name  ; 
His  mercy  is  lor  ever  sure. 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

2  Praise  God,  for  he  is  great  : 

The  Lord  of  lords  is  he  : 
He  reigns  in  royal  state 

And  glorious  majesty. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

3  Praise  ye  with  heart  and  voice 

The  wonder-working  God, 
Whose  wisdom  formed  the  skies, 

And  spread  the  earth  abroad. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure. 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

-i  The  glorious  lights  above. 

The  sun  and  moon  and  stars. 
Proclaim  his  power  and  love 
To  all  the  universe. 


L 


170  rsALMs. 

His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 

And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

5  Egypt,  thy  first-born  sons 

Were  smitten  by  his  hand, 
To  work  deliverance 

For  Israel  from  thy  land  ! 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

6  A  pathway  through  the  sea 

He  opened  by  his  power; 
That  Israel's  sons  might  flee 

From  him  who  would  devour. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

7  But  Pharaoh  and  his  host, 

Choosing  that  fatal  path, 
Were  overwhelmed  and  lost 

Through  his  avenging  wrath. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

8  Through  the  vast  wilderness, 

With  wonder-working  hand, 
He  led  his  chosen  race 

Even  to  the  promised  land. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

9  Great  kings  and  men  of  might, 

Even  famous  kings  he  slew  ; 
Sihon,  the  Amorite, 

Og,  king  of  Bashan,  too. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure, 


1  *  -  V  ! .  M -  .  171 

10  And  gwe  their  pleasant  land 

To  Israel's  favoured  sons. 
To  latest  time  to  stand 

Their  choice  inheritance. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

11  Sure,  God  on  us  has  thought, 

Even  in  our  low  estate, 
And  our  redemption  wrought 

From  all  who  bore  us  hale. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

12  He  daily  giveth  food 

To  all  the  tribes  of  men  ; 
Praise  God,  for  he  is  good, 

O  praise  Jehovah  then. 
His  mercy  is  for  ever  sure, 
And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 

PSALM  CXXXVII.       P.  M. 

Lament  of  the  captive  Jeics  at  Babylon. 

1  Tl  Y  Babel's  streams  we  sat, 

In  Judah's  evil  day, 
And  as  we  wept  and  thought 

Of  Zion  far  away, 
We  hung  our  harps  in  deep  despair 
Upon  the  weeping  willows  there. 

2  For  there  our  spoilers  said, 

11  Come,  strike  the  tuneful  string  ; 
Let  joyful  mirth  be  made; 

Some  song  of  Zion  sing." 
How  could  our  voices  fiamc  the  sound 
Of  Zion's  songs  on  heathen  ground  ! 


172  PSALMS . 

3  If  I  should  e'er  forget 

Thee,  O  Jerusalem, 
Or  earthly  pleasure  set 

Above  thy  cherished  name, 
With  palsy  be  my  arm  unstrung, 
And  ever  speechless  be  my  tongue. 

4  Remember  Edom,  Lord  ! 

In  Zion's  awful  day, 
With  envious  accord 

Thus  did  her  children  say, 
u  Come,  raze  it,  raze  it  to  the  ground, 
Till  not  one  ruined  arch  be  found." 

5  Daughter  of  Babylon, 

Doomed  to  destruction  too  ; 
Even  as  thy  sons  have  done, 

To  thee  shall  others  do : 
A  favoured  one  thy  little  ones 
Shall  dash  upon  the  flinty  stones.* 

PSALM  CXXXVIII.      C.  M. 

Song  of  praise  for  the  goodness  of  God. 

1  A  LMIGHTY  God,  with  all  my  heart 
"^       Thy  praises  I'll  proclaim, 

And  sing,  before  the  heavenly  hosts, 
To  thy  most  holy  name. 

2  I  will  devoutly  worship  thee 

Within  thy  holy  place, 
And  praise  thy  name  even  for  thy  truth, 
And  for  thy  saving  grace. 

3  For  thou  hast  made  thy  holy  name 

All  glorious,  all  divine, 

*  See  note  A,  Ps.  13? 


P0ALK*. 

Evaa  through  the  volume  of  thy  book. 
That  blessed  word  of  thine.* 

\:jJ  thou  hast  heard  my  humble  prayer, 

Whene'er  I  cried  to  thee  ; 
Yea,  thou  my  fainting  soul,  O  Lord, 

Hast  strengthened  powerfully. 

5  Lord,  all  the  princes  of  the  earth 

Shall  praise  thy  glorious  name, 
When  they  shall  hear  thy  fninisters 
Thy  blessed  word  proclaim. 

6  Yea,  walking  in  the  ways  of  God, 

They  shall  devoutly  sing, 
<:  Great  is  the  glory  of  the  Lord, 
Our  everlasting  kingly 

7  For  though  the  Lord  be  high,  yet  he 

Regards  the  lowly  one  ; 
But  all  the  proud  he  drives  away- 
Far  from  his  glorious  throne." 

8  Though  my  appointed  path  should  lead 

Through  trouble  anJ  distress, 
Thou  wilt  revive  me,  gracious  Lord, 
Xor  let  my  foe  oppress. 

9  Thine  hand  uplifted  shall  afford 

Relief  in  evil  days, 
And  thine  Almighty  arm  protect 
From  wrathful  enemies. 

10  Yea,  God,  all-gracious,  will  complete 
The  work  he  has  begun, 
Xor  will  he  leave  that  work  until 
My  heavenly  prize  is  won.= 

*  T  -ithor.  |  Latter.  ievan  Bible 

e  2 


174 


PSALM  CXXXIX.*       L.  M. 


Song  of  praise  in  celebration  of  the  omniscience  and 
omnipresence,  the  almighty  power  and  the  infinite 
wisdom  of  God. 

1  T  ORD,  thou  hast  searched  my  heart  and  ways, 

And  known  me  from  my  earliest  days: 
My  rising  up  and  lying  down, 
Yea,  all  my  thoughts  to  thee  are  known. 

2  Whether  I  rest  or  walk  abroad, 
Thou  art  around  me,  O  my  God,| 
And  thou  beholdest  all  my  path, 
From  childhood  till  my  day  of  death. 

3  There's  not  a  thought  within  my  breast, 
But,  ere  it  is  in  words  expressed, 
Thou  knowest  it  entirely,  long 
Before  it  has  escaped  my  tongue. 

4  In  every  place  and  every  hour 

I  stand  encompassed  by  thy  power, 
And  thine  outstretched,  almighty  hand 
Is  o'er  me  both  by  sea  and  land. 

5  Amazing  knowledge  !   how  can  I 
Conceive  its  vast  infinity  1 

It  far  exceeds  the  highest  reach, 

Of  human  thought  and  human  speech  ! 

6  Lord,  whither  could  I  hope  to  run, 
Thy  all-pervading  spirit  to  shun, 
Or  whither  from  thy  presence  flee  1 
To  heaven  or  hell,  or  land  or  sea  1 

*  Written  near  the  South  Shetland  Islands,  to  the  southward 
ind  eastward  of  Cape  Horn,  thennomeiiter  24  degrees  of  Fan- 
enheit. 

t  Luther. 


175 


\    it  1  ascend  the  heavenly  height. 
Lord,  thou  art  there  in  glory  bright  ! 
If,  with  the  children  of  despair, 
I  sleep  in  hell,  Lord,  thou  art  there  ! 

S  If  on  the  morning's  wings  I  flee 
And  dwell  beyond  the  farthest  sea, 
There  thou  should'st  lead  me,  and  thy  hand 
Uphold  me  in  the  distant  land  ! 

9   Or,  if  I  say,  "  Let  darkness  be 

My  covering,  O  my  God,  from  thee  ;" 
Then  shall  the  darkest  shades  of  night 
Shine  all  around  me  as  the  light. 

10  Yea,  darkness,  Lord,  can  ne'er  disguise 
From  thine  all-penetrating  eyes  ; 

To  thee  the  darkness  shines  as  bright, 
As  the  clear  sun's  meridian  light. 

1 1  My  mind,  that  secret  work  of  thine, 
Proclaims  thy  hidden  power  divine: 
That  power  inspired  my  senseless  clay, 
When  in  my  mother's  womb  I  lay.* 

12  O  God,  my  maker,  how  divine 
Is  this  amazing  frame  of  mine  ! 
My  soul  shall  gratefully  record 
The  work  of  wonder,  mighty  Lord. 

13  Deep  and  unseen  my  substance  lay 
A  shapeless  mass  of  lifeless  clay  : 
Thy  wisdom  drew  the  wondrous  plan 
And  formed  the  likeness  of  a  man.j 

14  Thine  eyes  my  unfinished  form  beheld  ; 
Thy  power  its  various  parts  revealed, 

*  See  Bote  A.  Ts.  139.  T  Sec  note  B.  Pa  139 


176  PSALMS. 

Each  in  the  foim  ordained  by  the<- 
And  modelled  from  eternity. 

15  How  can  I  reckon  or  record 

Thy  thoughts  of  love  to  me,  O  Lord  ! 
If  I  should  count  them,  they  are  more 
Than  grains  of  sand  upon  the  shore. 

16  O,  endless  were  the  long  account, 
And  infinite  the  vast  amount ! 
For  daily  I  should  still  record 

New  thoughts  of  mercy,  gracious  Lord  !* 

17  God  will  assuredly  destroy 

The  wicked,  who  his  power  defy 

And  scorn  his  grace.     Hence  from  me  then 

Ye  wicked  and  ye  bloody  men  ! 

18  For  wicked  men  for  ends  profane 
Take  God's  all-glorious  name  in  vain  ; 

Yea,  with  the  tongues  which  thou  hast  given, 
They  speak  against  thee,  God  of  heaven  ! 

19  My  soul  regards  with  grief  and  pain 
And  hatred  all  such  wicked  men  ! 
Yea,  I  count  those  my  enemies 

Who  hate  the  Lord,  and  scorn  his  giace. 

20  Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart ! 
O  search  my  spirit's  inmost  part ! 
Cleanse  me  from  all  iniquity  ! 
Lead  me  to  life,  to  heaven,  to  thee  ! 

*  See  note  C\  Fs.  139. 


M  kLMfi  !  3  . 

PSALM  CXL.      r.  M. 

Prayer  for  deliverance  from  hidden  and  open  enemies. 

1   T^ROM  wicked  and  ungodly  men, 
O  Lord,  deliver  me, 
And  from  the  man  of  violence 
O  keep  me  safe  and  free. 

9   Mischief  is  ever  in  their  hearts; 
Their  chief  employ  is  war  ; 
Sharp  as  the  serpent's  are  their  tongue- 
Their  lips  envenomed  are. 

3  O  Lord,  preserve  me  from  their  hands 

And  from  their  every  art, 
For  in  their  malice  they  have  sworn 
My  goings  to  subvert. 

4  The  proud  have  hid  their  artful  snares 

Along  my  daily  path, 
And  spread  their  nets  and  gins  to  irori 
My  down  fa  I  and  my  death. 

5  But  I  to  God  uplift  my  voice, 

Thou  art  my  God  alone, 
Hear  thou  my  lowly  prayer,  O  Thou 

Most  High  and  Holy  One! 
(3   O  Lord,  my  God,  thy  strength  has  oft 

Wrought  my  deliverance, 
And  in  the  day  of  battle  been 

My  bulwark  and  defence.* 

7   Grant  not  the  wicked's  artful  wish. 
.Xor  give  their  schemes  success; 

*  Lul 


178  PSALMS. 

Lest  they  exalt  themselves  and  sweep 
The  righteous  from  their  place. 

8  But  let  the  evil  their  deceit 

Unjustly  meant  for  me, 
Descending  on  their  guilty  heads 
Their  just  requital  be.* 

9  Yea,  even  with  lightnings  from  above 
*        And  flames  from  earth  below, 

God  shall  in  vengeance  smite  them  all 
And  wholly  overthrow. 

10  For  dire  misfortune  shall  attend 
The  slanderer  till  he  die, 
And  hunt  the  sons  of  malice  till 
They  perish  utterly.-[ 

li   Because  I  know  the  Lord  will  still 
Uphold  the  contrite  one, 
Nor  e'er  forsake  the  righteous  till 
Their  foes  are  overthrown. 

12  Yea,  all  thy  people,  blessed  God, 
Thy  name  shall  still  adore, 
And  in  thy  presence  dwell  in  peace 
And  bliss  for  evermore. 

PSALM  CXLI.     S.  M. 

Prayer  far  help  and  deliverance. 

1   rjpO  thee,  O  Lord,  I  cry, 
In  this  afflictive  hour  ; 
Haste  to  vny  succour  ;  hear  my  voice  ; 
Uphold  me  by  thy  power. 

*  Luther.  +  Luther. 


P8ALK0.  179 


2  As  incense  let  my  prayer 

Ascend  before  thine  r 
And  the  uplifting  of  my  hands 
As  th'  evening  sacrifice. 

3  Lord,  set  a  constant  watch 

Before  my  mouth  and  lips  ; 

0  keep  my  heart  from  loving  sin, 
From  evil  guard  my  steps. 

4  Lest  I  should  learn  the  w*>f!:s 

And  ways  of  wicked  men, 
Or  seek  the  false  and  fading  joys 
Of  folly  and  of  sin. 

5  Let  good  men  smite  me,  Lord, 

Whene'er  I  go  astray, 

1  shall  esteem  them  kind  to  me, 

And  for  tbeir  welfare  pray.* 

6  Their  bitterest  reproof 

I'll  joyfully  endure  ; 
Like  balsam  to  a  wounded  head, 
'Twere  only  meant  to  cure. 

7  Yea,  when  their  sorrow  comes 

And  their  calamity, 
I'll  lift  my  voice  on  their  behalf 
In  humble  prayer  to  thee. 

8  Yes  !   when  the  wicked's  chiefs 

On  yonder  hills  are  slain. 
My  words  shall  then  be  swTeet  as  dew 
And  pleasant  as  the  rain. 

9  Yet,  Lord,  around  the  grave 

Our  whitening  bones  ore  strewed. 

-    mi  aote  A,  Pa 


180  PSALMS. 

Like  falling  splinters  from  the  axe 
Of  him  who  cleaveth  wood. 

10  But  still  to  thee,  O  Lord, 

My  God,  mine  eyes  I  turn  ; 
Thou  art  my  only  hope  and  trust; 
O  leave  me  not  forlorn  ! 

1 1  Preserve  me  from  the  snares 

My  foes  have  laid  for  me, 
Even  from  the  craftiness  of  those 
Who  work  iniquity, 

12  Yea,  let  malicious  men 

Be  taken  in  the  snare 
They  laid  themselves,  while  I  escape 
Through  thy  paternal  care. 


PSALM  CXLII.       C.  M. 

Prayer  for  a  time  of  trouble. 

1  'T'O  thee,  O  Lord,  I  cry  aloud 

With  supplicating  voice ; 
Yea,  all  my  trouble  and  complaints 
I  spread  before  thine  eyes. 

2  For  when  my  soul's  o'erwhelmed  with  grief, 

And  men  beset  my  way, 
With  hidden  snares,  thou  comfortest 
And  mak?st  my  darkness  day,* 

3  I  look  on  my  right  hand,  but  lo  ! 

There's  none  to  know  me  there  ! 
Where  can  I  flee  for  help,  for  men 
Would  leave  me  to  despair  ? 

*  See  note  A.  Ps.  142. 


181 

4  O  Lord,  to  thee  alone-  1 

Thou  art  my  hope  an  i 
My  portion  in  the  land  of  life 
And  everlasting 

5  Hoar  my  complaint,*  for  I  am  still 

In  very  sore  di- 
And  save  me  from  the  men  of  might 
Who  vex  me  and  oppress. 

B   From  prison  set  me  free,  th'at  I 
.  celebrate  thy  praise, 
And  all  thy  saints  around  admire 
Thy  goodness  and  thy  grace. 

PSALM  CXLIII.       C.  If. 

The  Penitent's  prayer  of  faith. 

1  T   ORD,  hear  my  prayer ;  in  mercy  hear 

My  sorrowful  complaints, 
And  in  thy  faithfulness  and  love 
Answer  me,  King  of  Saints. 

2  At  thy  tremendous  judgment  seat, 

0  let  me  not  be  tried  ; 

For  sure  no  living  man  can  stand 
Before  thee  justified. 

3  Already  hath  the  foe  pursued 

And  thrust  me  to  the  ground, 
And  shut  me  in  his  prison-house, 
Where  darkness  reigns  around, 

4  There,  like  the  long~forgolten  dead. 

1  dwell  and  daily  mourn, 

•  Luther 


182  psalms. 

My  spirit  overwhelmed  with  grief 
And  my  heart  ail  forlorn. 

5  But  when  I  call  to  mind  the  days, 

When  thine  Almighty  power 
And  miracles  of  grace  were  seen 
In  Israel's  evil  hour, 

6  Then,  full  of  hope,  I  stretch  my  hands 

To  thee,  my  God,  again, 
And  my  soul  longs  and  thirsts  for  thee, 
As  parched  lands  for  rain. 

7  My  spirit  faints ;  O  hear  me,  Lord, 

And  tarry  not  to  save, 
Nor  longer  hide  thy  blessed  face, 
But  rescue  from  the  grave. 

8  O  cause  me  speedily  to  hear,* 

Thy  loving-kindr.ess,  Lord, 
Because  I  trust  in  thee  alone; 
My  hope  is  in  thy  wrord. 

9  Yea,  cause  my  longing  soul  to  know 

The  way  that  I  should  go, 
And  guard  me,  for  I  flee  to  thee, 
From  every  wrathful  foe. 

10  Teach  me  to  do  thy  will,  O  thou 

That  art  my  God  alone  : 
And  in  the  way  to  heaven,  let  thy 
Good  spirit  lead  me  on. 

1 1  Revive  me,  Lord,  whene'er  I  faint 

In  trouble  here  below  ; 
In  thy  benevolence  redeem 
My  soul  from  endless  woe. 

*  Luther. 


WUAiMB.  183 

12  All  who  atllict  thy  servant.  Lord, 
And  all  who  hate  my  peace, 
In  mercy  silence  or  destroy 
Till  all  their  malice  cease. 

PSALM  CXLIV.       C.  M. 

Song  of  praise  to  God  for  past  mercies,  and  prayer  for 
future. 

1  XT  OR  ever  blessed  be  the  Lord, 

The  God  of  power  and  might. 
For  he  hath  armed  my  hands  for  war 
And  strengthened  me  to  fight. 

2  The  Lord  is  ever  good  to  me  ; 

My  fortress  and  my  tower, 
My  strong  deliverer  and  my  shield 
When  foes  would  overpower. 

3  He  is  my  trust  and  sure  defence 

From  every  enemy  ; 
He  makes  the  Gentile  nations  yield 
Submissively  to  me. 

4  O  what  is  man,  that  he  should  thus 

Become  thy  care,  O  Lord  ! 
Or  what  the  son  of  man.  that  thou 
Should'st  view  him  with  regard  1 

5  Man  is  as  nothing  in  thy  sight  :* 

His  life's  contracted  day, 
Even  as  a  passing  shadow's  form, 
Flies  rapidly  away. 

6  Lord,  bend  the  heavens  ;  in  might  descend  ; 

Touch  thou  the  mountains  high, 

*  Luther 


184  PSALMS. 

And  volumes  of  ascending  smoke 
Shall  darken  all  the  sky. 

7  Cast  forth  thy  dreadful  lightnings,  Lord, 

And  scatter  them  abroad, 
Dart  thy  destructive  shafts  around, 
And  show  thy  might,  O  God  ! 

8  From  heaven  thy  majesty  display  ; 

And  from  the  rolling  wave, 
Even  from  the  bands  of  foreign  men, 
O  rescue  me  and  save. 

9  Save  me  from  men  whose  intercourse 

Is  profitless  and  vile, 
Whose  words  and  oaths  and  covenants, 
Are  falsehood,  fraud  and  guile. 

10  So  shall  I  gladly  sing  to  thee 

A  new  song,  O  my  God  ; 
Yea,  on  the  ten-stringed  psaltery, 
I'll  sing  thy  praise  abroad. 

11  *  'Tis  God  alone  who  saveth  kings, 

And  safety  still  affords 
To  David  from  his  wrathful  foes 
And  their  destructive  swords. 

12  Save  us,  O  God,  from  foreign  men, 

Whose  words  are  vain  and  vile, 
Whose  covenants  and  promises, 
Are  falsehood,  fraud  and  guile. 

13  So  shall  our  sons  grow  tall  and  strong. 

Each  like  a  cedar  tree, 
Our  daughters,  like  the  polished  stones 
In  David's  palace,  be. 

14-  So  shall  our  bams  be  ever  full 
And  rich  abundance  yield, 


PSALMS.  185 

And  our  prolific  flocks  bring  forth 
Thousands  in  every  field. 

15  So  shall  the  labouring  ox  be  strong 

To  ply  his  daily  toil, 
Nor  loss,  nor  injury,  nor  complaint 
Be  heard  of  all  the  while.* 

16  Happy  are  they  whose  lot  is  cast 

In  such  a  state  as  this, 
But  happier  far  the  peoplc*are 
Whose  God  Jehovah  is." 

PSALM  CXLV.f       L.  M. 

So7ig  of  praise  to  God  for  his  goodness  and  mercy. 

1  I'LL  thee  extol,  my  God  and  king, 

And  bless  thy  holy  name  always ; 
Each  day  I  rise  I'll  gladly  sing, 
Nor  ever  cease  to  sing,  thy  praise. 

2  Great  is  the  Lord  :  great  be  his  praise  ! 
His  greatness  none  can  comprehend. 
Thy  mighty  works  race  unto  race 
Shall  ever  praise,  time  without  end. 

3  The  splendour  of  thy  majesty 
And  works  of  wonder  I'll  record  ; 
And  myriads  shall  recount  with  me 
Thy  dreadful  acts,  Almighty  Lord. 

4  With  grateful  heart  and  joyful  tongue 
Thy  wondrous  goodness  they  shall  show  ; 
Thy  love  di\ine  shall  be  their  song, 
While  years  on  years  successive  flow. 

♦Luther.  f  See  note  A,  Pi.  145. 

a  2 


lftO  PSAL3I6. 

5  All-gracious  and  compassionate, 
To  mercy  swift,  to  anger  slow, 
God's  mercies,  manifold  and  great, 
Are  over  all  his  works  below. 

6  Yea,  God  is  good  to  all  :   O  Lord, 
Thy  mighty  works  proclaim  thy  praise  ; 
And  all  thy  saints  with  glad  accord, 
Shall  bless  thy  holy  name  always. 

7  Thy  glorious  kingdom  and  thy  power, 
And  mighty  acts  their  theme  shall  be; 
That  men  may  know  thee  and  adore, 
And  see  thy  kingdom's  majesty. 

8  Thy  throne  and  sceptre  shall  endure 
Unchangeably  secure  for  aye, 

And  thy  dominion  firm  and  sure, 
Shall  ne'er  be  shaken  nor  decay. 

9  The  Lord  upholdeth  all  that  fall, 
The  downcast  raises  and  relieves  ; 
All  creatures  for  thy  bounty  call, 
And  timely  food  thy  bounty  gives. 

10  Thy  boundless  liberality 

Supplies  whate'er  their  wants  require  ; 
Whatever  lives  looks  up  to  thee, 
Thou  satisfiest  its  desire. 

11  The  Lord  is  good  in  all  his  ways, 
Benignant  in  his  works  each  one  ; 
And  all  shall  know  his  saving  grace, 
Who  call  in  truth  on  Him  alone. 

12  God  will  the  just  desire  fulfil 

Of  all  who  are  his  saints  indeed  ; 
Their  cry  regard  and  hear  he  will, 
And  save  them  in  the  time  of  need. 


lLMS.  1-7 

13   God  will  preserve  and  richly  U 

All  those  who  love  him  in  their  heart ; 
But  those  who  practise  wickedness 
lie  will  destroy  and  clean  subvert. 

11   My  tongue  shall  joyfully  proclaim 
Jehovah's  praise  for  evermore: 
O  lei  ail  mankind  bless  his  name, 
In  every  age,  on  every  shore. 

PSALM  CXLYI.*        C.  M. 

God,  the  trust  and  confidence  of  his  people. 

1    C\  THOU  my  soul,  praise  God  t'.:e  Lord. 
I'll  praise  God  all  my  days, 
Even  till  my  latest  breath  is  drawn 
I'll  sing  Jehovah's  praise. 

'Z  Trust  not  in  kings,  for  they  are  men  ; 
They  cannot  help  nor  save  : 
Ere  long  they  die,  and  their  designs 
Are  buried  in  the  grave.-j- 

3  Blest  is  the  man  whom  Jacob's  God 

Shall  from  all  ill  defend, 
Who  trusts  in  God,  and  who  hath  still 
Th'  Almighty  for  his  friend. 

4  For  God  made  heaven  and  earth  and  sea, 

And  all  that  they  contain; 
True  is  his  word  for  evermore, 
rs'or  is  his  promise  vain. 

5  The  Lord  relieves  the  oppressed  from  wrong, 

And  bids  their  sorrows  cease  ; 

•  S^.j  d    -   A.  Pa    I  Ifi  T  See  note  B,  Pa   ' 


188  PSALMS. 

He  feeds  the  hungry,  and  he  gives 
The  prisoners  their  release. 

6  Jehovah  gives  the  blind  their  sight, 

Uplifts  the  bowed  down  ; 
He  loves  the  righteous,  and  rewards 
With  an  unfading  crown. 

7  Jehovah  succours  and  preserves 

The  strangers  in  the  land  ; 
He  is  the  widow's  strong  support, 
The  orphan's  help  at  hand. 

8  But  wicked  men  shall  feel  his  wrath, 

And  perish  at  his  frown  ; 
And  all  their  monuments  of  power 
Be  thrown  ignobly  down. 

9  Zion,  thy  mighty  God,  the  Lord, 

Shall  reign  for  evermore. 
O  let  his  praise,  in  sweetest  sounds, 
Be  eung  from  shore  to  shore. 

PSALM  CXLVIL*       L.  M. 

Song  of  praise  to  God  for  his  goodness  and  mercy. 

1  T3RAISE  ye  the  Lord  :  'tis  good  to  sing 

The  praises  of  our  heavenly  King; 
Be  this,  my  soul,  thy  sweet  employ, 
Thy  welcome  task,  thy  chiefest  joy. 

2  The  Lord  rebuilds  Jerusalem's  walls, 
And  Israel's  scattered  race  recalls, 

*  Written  in  the  Soath  Atlantic  Ocean  during  a  violent  gale 
from  the  southeast,  immediately  before  which  the  barometer  on 
board  was  observed  to  rise  to  the  very  unusual  height  of  32 
inches  and  upwards. 


lS'J 


Though  tar  dispersed  the  world  around, 
To  Zion's  blest  and  holy  ground. 

3  He  healeth  all  ihe  broken  hearts, 
And  balsam  to  their  wounds  imparts. 
He  numbers  yonder  starry  frames, 
And  calls  them  by  their  several  names. 

4  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  great  his  might ; 
His  wisdom's  vast  and  infinite; 

He  lifts  the  meek  from  depths  profound, 
But  casts  the  wicked  to  the  ground. 

5  Sing  to  the  Lord  a  grateful  song; 
With  tuneful  harp  his  praise  prolong, 
Whose  gathering  clouds  discharge  their  rain 
To  make  the  mountains  green  again. 

6  He  gives  the  beast  of  prey  his  food, 
And  satisfies  the  raven's  brood. 

He  daily  hears  their  plaintive  cry, 
And  senJs  the  requisite  supply. 

7  He  prizes  not  the  warlike  horse, 
Nor  the  strong  man's  resistless  force  : 
But  all  who  Jove  him  and  revere 
And  trust  in  him,  to  God  are  dear. 

S  O  praise  the  Lord,  Jerusalem, 
Zion,  extol  Jehovah's  name  : 
Like  walls  of  brass,  his  providence 
Is  thy  protection  and  defence. 

9  Thy  sons  are  by  his  bounty  blest 

With  wholesome  food  and  needful  rest  : 
They  pine  not  o'er  a  scanty  store, 
Nor  ever  hear  the  voice  of  war. 


190  PSALMS. 

10  His  irresistible  command 
Jehovah  sends  throughout  the  land  ; 
Nor  does  the  speedy  mandate  run 
More  swiftly  than  its  work  is  done. 

11  His  flaky  snow  falls  thick  around; 
His  hoar-  frost  overspreads  the  ground ; 
His  driving  hail  falls  loud  and  fast  ;* 
O  who  can  stand  his  piercing  blast  ? 

12  Jehovah  sends  his  word  again, 
A  rapid  thaw  succeeds  amain: 

At  his  command  the  warm  winds  blow, 
And  twice  ten  thousand  torrents  flow. 

13  But  choicer  gifts  of  heavenly  grace 
He  gives  to  Abram's  chosen  race : 
His  word  to  Jacob  he  hath  shown ; 
His  laws  to  Israel  are  known. 

14  Blessings  so  great  were  never  given 
To  any  nation  under  heaverl ; 

For  others  ne'er  have  heard  his  word 

Or  known  his  grace.     Praise  ye  the  Lord  ! 

PSALM  CXLVIII.*       P.  M. 

All  creatures  summoned  to  praise  God. 

1  HP  HE  Lord  of  heaven  confess, 
On  high  his  glory  raise. 
Him  let  all  angels  bless, 
Him  all  his  armies  praise. 
Him  glorify 

Sun,  moon,  and  stars; 
Ye  higher  spheres, 
And  cloudy  sky. 
*  Luther.  t  See  note  A,  Ps.  148. 


191 


All  ye  from  nothing  came. 

At  his  creating  word  ; 
O,  therefore,  bless  his  name, 
And  magnify  the  Lord. 
His  wisdom  hath 
Assigned  you  all, 
Where'er  you  roll, 
Your  changeless  path. 

Praise  God  on  earth  belov*, 

Praise  him,  sea-monsters,  deeps, 
Fire,  hail,  clouds,  wind,  and  snow, 
Whom  in  command  he  keeps. 
Praise  ye  his  name, 
Hills  great  and  small, 
Trees  low  and  tall ; 
Beasts  wild  and  tame ; 

Creatures  that  creep  or  fly, 

Ye  kings,  ye  vulgar  throng, 
Judges  and  princes  high ; 

Both  men  and  virgins  young, 
Even  young  and  old, 
Exalt  his  name ; 
For  much  his  fame 
Should  be  extolled. 

O  let  God's  name  be  praised 
Above  both  earth  and  sky  ; 
For  he  his  saints  hath  raised, 
And  set  their  home  on  high  ; 
Praise  ye  the  Lord, 
O  Israel's  race, 
Who  know  his  grace. 
And  hear  his  word. 


192 


PSALM  CXLIX.       P.  M. 

Hallelujah  ! 
In  the  measure  of  the  Portuguese  Hymn—  Jldcstcfidc.lcs. 

1  VE  saints  who  assemble  Jehovah  tot  praise, 

O  sing  a  new  song  to  the  praise  of  his  grace. 
"   Let  his  people  rejoice  while  their  Maker  they  sing  : 
Let  the  children  of  Zion  exult  in  their  King. 

2  Let   them    sing  when    they   march  in  procession 

along,* 
While  the  harp  and  the  timbrel  accord  with  their 

song: 
For  the  Lord  loves  his  saints,  though  the  wicked 

may  scorn, 
And  with  crowns  of  salvation  the  meek  will  adorn. 

3  Rejoice,  O  ye  saints,  and  exult  while  ye  sing 
Aloud  on  your  beds  to  your  God  and  your  King, 
For  the  praise  of  Jehovah  again  ye  shall  hymn, 
And   a   sword  in  your  right  hands  shall  terribly 

gleam : 

4  To   accomplish   the  sentence  pronounced    by   the 

Lord, 
On   the   nations  who  scoff  at  his  saints  and  his 

word ; 
Their  kings  and  their  nobles  in  fetters  to  chain, 
That  the  power  of  the  wicked  be  felt  not  again. 

5  For  the  vengeance  of  God  is  committed  to  them, 
Who  love  and  adore  his  all-wonderful  name. 
Such  honour  and  triumph  are  pledged  in  his  word, 
To  the  saints  of  Jehovah.     O  praise  ye  the  Lord  ! 

*  See  Noto  A,  Ps   149. 


t-alm>.  193 

PSALM  CXLIX.       C.  M. 

Second  Version. 

1  f\   SING  a  new  song  to  the  Lord, 

Ye  saints,  your  voices  raise, 
In  full  assembly  when  ye  meet, 
To  sing  Jehovah's  praise. 

2  Let  Israel  in  his  Maker  joy, 

And  his  high  praises  sing: 
Let  Zion's  children  all  exult 
And  triumph  in  their  King. 

3  In  grave  procession  let  them  march, 

And  praise  him  in  the  song  : 
And  let  the  timbrel  and  the  harp 
The  melody  prolong. 

4  For  God  takes  pleasure  in  his  saints, 

Although  the  world  may  scorn  ; 
And  with  salvation's  glorious  dress, 
The  humble  will  adorn. 

5  0  let  the  righteous  then  exult, 

And  triumph  in  their  King  ; 
And  on  their  beds  in  joyful  strains 
Jehovah's  praises  sing. 

6  For  soon,  in  more  exalted  strains, 

They  shall  extol  the  Lord, 
While  in  their  hands  each  one  shall  wield 
A  sharp  two-edged  sword  ; 

7  To  execute  the  vengeance  due 

On  all  the  sinful  race. 


194 


And  visit  with  just  punishment 
The  scorners  of  his  grace. 

8  To  bind  in  fetters  strong  their  kings, 

Who  once  held  high  command, 
And  to  enchain  with  iron  chains 
The  princes  of  their  land. 

9  To  execute  the  sentence  formed 

Recorded  in  his  word. 
Yea,  all  the  righteous  shall  enjoy 
Such  honour.     Praise  the  Lord. 

PSALM  CL.       C.  M. 
Hallelujah  ! 

1  "VfyHTHIN  his  temple,  praise  the  Lord, 

Ye  who  have  known  his  love. 
Praise  him  in  yonder  heavenly  place, 
Ye  angd  hosts  above. 

2  Praise  him  when  ye  his  mighty  acts  • 

With  grateful  hearts  review. 
Great  is  the  glory  of  the  Lord  : 
Great  be  his  praises  too  ! 

3  Let  the  loud  trumpet's  voice  be  heard 

Amid  your  songs  of  praise  : 
Let  psalteries  and  melodious  harps 
Their  softer  music  raise. 

4  When  marching  slowly  to  the  sound 

Of  timbrels,  praise  the  Lord, 
While  organs  and  stringed  instruments 
Harmoniously  accord. 


195 


5  Let  the  clear  cymbals'  shriller  note, 

The  cymbals  sounding  high, 

Resound  while  ye  extol  the  Lord, 

Who  rules  the  earth  and  sky. 

G  Yea,  let  all  creatures  that  have  life 
The  joyful  anthem  raise 
To  God's  great  name  !  To  God  the  Lord 
Be  everlasting  praise. 


N  O  T  E  S  , 

CRITICAL  A\D  EXPLANATORY. 


Psalm  II.— A. 

Why  do  the  heathen  rage? 

Their  princes  and  their  kings 
With  Judah's  sons  engage 

In  vain  imaginings  ! 

The  words  heathen  and  people  in  the  first  verse  of  this 
psalm  designate,  respectively,  the  Gentiles  and  the  Jews. 
It  is  thus  translated  in  the  old  version  of  Sterahold  and 
Hopkins. 

Psalm  V.— A. 

But  I  into  thy  house  will  go, 

Through  thine  abundant  grace, 
And  in  thy  fear  devoutly  bow 

Withiu  thy  holy  place. 

The  meaning  of  this  verse  is  as  follows.  I  will  go  into 
the  house  of  God,  i.  e.  within  the  courts  of  the  temple  on 
Mount  Zion,  and  worship  the  Lord,  with  my  face  turned 
towards  the  sanctum  sanctorum,  or  most  holy  place,  where 
the  presence  of  God  was  more  immediately  manifested,  but 
into  which  neither  the  people  nor  the  priests,  with  the 
exception  of  the  high  priest  once  a  year,  were  permitted 
to  enter.  As  this,  however,  is  by  no  means  evident  to 
an   English    reader,   I   prefer    rendering   the   psalmist's 


198  NOTES. 

meaning  by  the  phrase,  within  thy  holy  place,  rather  than 
by  the  one  used  in  our  version,  toward  thy  holy  place  ; 
for  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  psalmist  merely  expres- 
ses, in  the  language  of  a  Jew,  his  determination  to  per- 
form acts  of  spiritual  worship,  within  the  house  of  God. 

Tsalm  VI.— A. 

Consumed  with  grief,  my  wasted  frame 
Looks  old,  and  all  my  foes  rejoice. 

Luther's  translation  of  the  seventh  (German,  eighth) 
verse  of  this  psalm,  is,  Meine  gestalt  istverfallen  vor 
trauren,  und  ist  alt  worden  :  deun  ich  allenthalben 
geaugstiget  werde.  My  form  or  appearance  is  fallen, 
from  sorrow,  and  become  old:  for  lam  tormented  on  all 
sides.  I  have  adopted  Luther's  translation  of  the  for- 
mer clause,  and  adhered  to  the  English  version  in  the 
latter.  The  idea,  I  conceive,  which  the  psalmist  intends 
to  convey  is,  that  through  excess  of  sorrow  and  extremo 
affliction,  his  frame  was  so  wasted  away  as  to  exhibit, 
prematurely,  the  appearance  of  old  age;  insomuch  that 
his  enemies  rejoiced  at  seeing  him,  in  the  prospect  of 
his  speedy  dissolution. 

Psalm  VII.— A. 

The  mischief-plotting  sinner  see 
All  pregnant  with  iniquity  ! 
The  offspring  of  his  malice  still 
Is  shame  and  self-requited  ill. 

Luther's  translation  of  the  14th  (German,  15th)  verse 
of  this  psalm  is,  Siehe,  der  hat  boses,  im  sinn,  mit  un. 
gliick  ist  er  schwauger  :  er  wird  abereinen  fehl  geberen. 
Behold,  he  who  conceiveth  iniquity  is  pregnant  with  mis- 
fortune,  and  shall  brin^  forth  an  abortion.  The  instan- 
ces that  follow  fully  evince  the  propriety  of  this  transla- 
tion, which  I  have  accordingly  adopted.      The  English 


NOTES.  11)1/ 

version  vi  the  passage,  which  is,  Behold,  he  iraraileth 
with  iniq*ityy  and  hath  conceived  mischitf  and  brought 
forth  fa U eh ood ,  is  scarcely  intelligible. 

P*ALM   IX.— A. 

I  have  in  general  retained  the  old  metrical  version  of 
tliis  psalm ;  and  in  those  parts  of  it  in  which  1  have 
deemed  it  necessary  to  alter  that  version,  I  have  endea- 
voured as  much  as  possible  to  preserve  the  style  and 
manner  ofthc  olden  time,  that  the  amended  version  may 
not  exhibit  the  anomalous  appearance  of  a  piece  of  new 
cloth  sewed  upon  an  old  garment. 

B. 

O  enemy,  thy  cruel  swoid 

No  longer  brings  dismay  ; 
Thy  cities  overthrown,  thy  name 
Has  perished  now  for  aye. 
Luther's  translation  of  this  verse,  which  I  have  follow- 
ed, is,  Die  schwerdter  des    feindes  haben  ein   ende,  die 
stadte  hast  du  umgekehret :  ihr  gedachtuiss  ist  umkom- 
men  samt  ihuen.      "  The  swords  of  the  enemy  have  an 
end;  his  cities  hast  thou  razed;   their  memory  is  perish- 
ed with  them."      The  English  version  is,  "  O  thou  ene- 
my, destructions  are  come  to  a  perpetual  end:   and  thou 
hast  destroyed  cities;   their   memorial  is  perished    with 
them." 

C. 

That  I  in  Zit>n's  blessed  courts, 
May  celebrate  thy  praise. 
Literally,  in  the  gates  of  the  daughter  of  Zion.  The  tem- 
ple of  Solomon  was  beautifully  styled  by  the  Hebrews, 
The  Daughter  of  Zion.  To  celebrate  the  praise  of  the 
Lord  in  the  gates  of  the  daughter  of  Zion,  is,  therefore, 
to  join  in  the  exercises  of  prayer  and  praise  in  the  house 
of  God. 


200  NOTES. 

Psalm  X. 


I  have  been  induced,  on  mature  consideration,  to  pre- 
fer Luther's  translation  of  this  psalm  to  the  authorized 
English  version.  When  viewed  through  the  medium  of 
the  English  version,  it  exhibits  a  want  of  connection, 
which,  however,  docs  not  appear  in  the  German  transla- 
tion, and  which,  the  following  outline  of  its  contents  will 
show,  does  not  exist. 

The  psalm  commences  with  an  abrupt  but  earnest 
prayer  for  deliverance  from  the  intolerable  yoke  of  the 
wicked,  whose  character  and  conduct  are  then  described 
in  the  liveliest  colours,  evidently  with  a  view  to  strength- 
en the  psalmist's  prayer.  The  prayer  for  deliverance  is 
accordingly  resumed  in  a  direct  manner  towards  the  close 
of  the  psalm;  first,  in  the  language  of  expostulation,  and 
afterwards,  in  that  of  confident  assurance  of  deliverance. 
At  length,  a  prophetic  vision  of  the  entire  destruction  of 
the  wicked,  and  of  the  universal  prevalence  of  peace  and 
holiness  in  the  glorious  reign  of  Messiah,  bursts  upon 
the  psalmist's  view,  and  induces  him  to  conclude  the 
psalm  in  the  language  of  gratitude  and  praise. 

B. 

Relentless,  proud  and  fierce, 

The  wicked  reign  secure, 
Combining  with  malignant  arts, 

To  persecute  the  poor. 

Luther's  translation  of  this  verse,  which  I  have  adopt- 
ed, is,  Weil  der  gottlose  ubcrmuth  breibet,  rnuss  der 
eleude  leiden  :  sie  hengen  sich  an  einauder,  und  erdencken 
bose  tucke.  "  When  the  wicked  exercise  their  haughty 
spirit,  the  poor  must  mourn;  they  cleave  together,  and 
excogitate  evil  devices." 


KOTJ  801 


Boasting1  their  great  success, 

And  doating  on  their  hoard, 
They  bless  their  own  prosperity, 

While  they  blaspheme  the  Lord. 

Luther's  translation  of  this  verse,  which,  lam  strongly 
inclined  to  believe,  is  more  accordant  with  the  mind  of 
the  psalmist  than  that  of  our  translators,  and  which  I 
have  accordingly  followed,  is,  Denn  der  gottlose  riihmet 
sich  seineg  muthwellens  ;  und  der  geitzige  segnet  sich, 
und  lastertden  Herrn.  "  For  the  wicked  glories  in  his 
wickedness,  and  the  covetous  blesseth  himself,  and  blas- 
phemeth  the  Lord." 

The  translation  of  this  verse  in  the  old  Genevan  Bible 
is,  "  For  the  wicked  hath  made  boast  of  his  own  heart's 
desire,  and  the  covetous  blesseth  himself;  he  contemneth 
the  Lord." 

Psalm  XII. 
A. 

How  precious  are  thy  words,  O  God, 

More  comfort  they  inspire, 
Than  heaps  of  silver,  purified 

In  the  refiner's  fire. 

Silver,  seven  times  purified,  was  not  merely  supposed 
to  have  readied  the  utmost  degree  of  fineness  to  which 
the  metal  could  be  brought,  but  acquired,  in  consequence 
of  its  superior  fineness  and  the  loss  of  weight  it  neces- 
sarily underwent  in  the  process  of  refining,  a  much 
higher  value  in  the  market.  As  the  value  or  precious- 
ness  of  silver  was  therefore  expressed  by  the  degree  of 
fineness  to  which  it  had  reached,  it  seems  to  me  that  that 
quality,  and  not  its  purity,  is  the  point  of  comparison  in 
the  present  instance,  when  the  psalmist  likens  the  pure 
words  of  God  to  the  finest  silver. 


202  NOTES. 

Psalm  XVI. 


O  God,  Thou  High  and  Holy  One, 

Thou  source  of  lasting  peace, 
On  thy  benignity  alone 

Rests  all  my  happiness. 

For  all  the  gods  the  sons  of  men 

With  blinded  zeal  adore, 
And  worship  with  oblations  vain, 

I  utterly  abhor. 

Luther's  translation  of  the  second  and  third  verses  of 
this  psalm  is  as  follows:  Ich  habe  gesagt  zu  dem  Herm, 
Du  bist  ja  def  Herr,  ich  muss  um  deiner  willen  leiden, 
Fur  die  heiligen,  so  auf  erden  sind  :  und  fiir  die  herr- 
lichen,  au  denen  hab  ich  all  mein  gefallen.  "I  have 
said  to  the  Lord,  thou  art  indeed  the  Lord,  I  must  suffer 
for  thy  sake;  for  (or,  on  account  of)  the  saints  who  are 
on  earth  :  and  for  the  glorious  ones  in  whom  I  have  all 
my  pleasure.1* 

If  I  could  discern  any  authority  in  the  original  for  this 
version,  I  should  willingly  adopt  it,  as  it  certainly  ex- 
hibits a  view  of  the  psalm  much  more  in  accordance 
with  the  close  of  it  than  the  authorized  version.  I  have 
followed  the  view  of  the  psalm  taken  by  French  and 
Skinner. 

Psalm  XVII. 

A. 

With  watchful  malice  they  beset 

My  steps  where'er  I  go ; 
They  follow  me  with  artful  guile 

To  work  my  overthrow. 

The  English  translation  of  this  verse  is,  "They  have 
now  compassed  us  in  our  steps:  they  have  set  their  eyes 


EfOTS*.  203 

bowing  down  to  the  earth."  That  of  Luther's  version  is, 
Wo  wir  gehen,  so  umgeben  sie  uns:  ihre  augen  richten 
sie  dahin,  dass  sic  uns  zur  erden  sliirtzen.  M  Wherever 
we  go,  they  surround  us;  they  direct  their  eves  to  as- 
certain} how  they  may  throw  us  violently  to  the  ground." 
I  prefer  the  German  version,  which  I  have  accord 
followed,  for  the  following  reason.  The  latter  clause  in 
the  English  rersion  neither  corresponds  with  the  former 
clause,  nor  expresses  in  intelligible  idea  in  ilsel  ;  where- 
as,  in  the  German  version,  it  exactly  tallies  with  the  cor- 
responding member  of  the  sentence,  and  adds  to  the  ge- 
neral idea  just  what  fhat  other  member  requires  to  com- 
plete the  sense.  In  the  former  part  of  the  sentence,  the 
wicked  are  represented  as  tracking  the  psalmist  wherever 
he  goes,  and  at  last  completely  surrounding  him,  for  which 
reason  they  are  immediately  thereafter  compared  to  a 
hungry  lion  pursuing  his  prey;  in  ihe  latter,  they  are 
represented  as  ready  to  rash  in  upon  their  victim,  whom 
they  have  just  closed  around,  and  are  therefore  compared 
to  a  young  lion  lying  in  his  covert  with  his  eyes  intensely 
fixed  on  some  unfortunate  traveller,  on  whom  he  is  just 
about  to  make  the  fatal  soring. 

In  the  old  Genevan  Bible,  this  verse  is  as  follows  : 
"They  have  compassed  us  now  in  our  steps;  they  have 
set  their  eyes  to  bring  down  to  the  ground."  It  per- 
fectly accords  with  Luther's  translation. 

B. 

And  rescue  me  from  wicked  men 
With  thine  avenging  sword. 

Luther's  translation  of  this  verse  is  as  follows  :  Herr, 
mache  dich  auf,  uber  waltige  ihn  :  und  demnthige  ihn  ; 
errette  meine  seele  von  den  gottlosen  mit  deinem 
schwerdt.  4*  O  Lord,  arise,  overpower  him,  and  humble 
him:  deliver  my  soul  from  the  wicked  with  thy  sword." 

In  the  old  Genevan  Bible,  this  verse  is  translated  a> 
in  Luther's   \ersion,  "  Vp  Lord,  disappoint   him — cast 


204  NOTES. 

him  down  :  deliver  my  soul  from  the  wicked  with  thy 
sword/' 

The  phrase,  my  soul,  in  this  verse,  as  in  many  similar 
passages  throughout  the  psalms,  is  a  mere  Hebraism 
for  myself,  or  rather  my  person.  The  literal  translation 
of  such  phrases,  which,  in  English,  can  have  no  mean- 
ing, tends  very  much  to  conceal  the  beauty  and  the 
energy  of  the  word  of  God  from  the  mere  English  reader, 
while  it  induces  the  dangerous  habit  of  using  scriptural 
phrases  without  attaching  any  definite  meaning  to  them. 
In  every  language  there  are  various  expressions  which 
are  altogether  incapable  of  a  literal  translation  into  any 
other  language,  and  which  it  would  therefore  be  prepos- 
terous to  translate  literally. 


Save  me,  O  God,  from  worldly  men, 

To  whom  thine  hand  has  given 
The  portion  of  their  choice  on  earth, 

Without  one  thought  of  heaven. 

Thou  fillest  them  with  eorn  and  wine, 

And  all  their  hearts  love  best ; 
Their  children  have  abundance  too, 

And  leave  their  heirs  the  rest. 

The  fourteenth  verse  of  this  psalm  must  evidently 
have  been,  in  great  measure,  unintelligible  to  our  trans- 
lators. At  all  events,  their  version  of  it  is  almost  en- 
tirely, if  not  wholly,  unintelligible.  Luther's  version, 
which,  I  conceive,  is  greatly  to.  be  preferred,  and  which 
I  have  accordingly  adopted,  is  as  follows :  Von  den 
leuten  deiner  hand,  Herr,  von  den  leuten  dieser  welt  'r 
welche  ihr  thcil  haben  in  ihrem  leben,  welchen  du  den 
bauch  futtest  mit  deinern  schatz;  die  da  kinder  die  fulle 
haben,  and  lassen  ihr  iibriges  ihren  jungen.  "  From  the 
people  of  thine  hand,  O  Lord,  from  the  people  of  this 
world;  who  have  their  portion  in  their  life,  whose  belly 


iron  205 

thou  fillrst  with   thy  treasure;  their  children  also  have 
abundance,  and  leave  their  overplus  to  their  offspring. " 

In  the  old  Genevan  Bible  this  verse  is  translated  as 
follows:  M  From  u.cn  of  thine  hand,  ()  Lord,  from  men 
of  the  world,  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life,  whose 
bellies  thou  fillcst  with  thine  hid  treasure:  their  children 
have  enough,  and  leave  the  rest  of  their  substance  for 
their  children." 

TSALM   XVIII. 

A. 

DcaTn  and  bis  terrors  stood  around  ! 

Fearful  I  saw  the  rising-  wave 
Of  wicked  men  !   Already  bound 

In  the  firm  fetters  of  the  grave, 
My  soul  had  almost  sunk  beneath 
The  overpowering  shafts  of  death. 

The  gradation  of  ideas  which  the  original  undoubtedly 
exhibits  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  verses  of  this  psalm,  is 
not  properly  brought  out  in  our  version  by  the  phrases, 
sorrows  of  death, floods  of  ungodly  men,  sorrows  of  hell, 
snares  of  death.  The  corresponding  phrases  in  Luther's 
version  are,  To  des  bar  do,  Bache  Btli-jl,  RoUen  hand?, 
To  des  hande,  cords  of  death  floods  or  streams  of  Belial, 
cords  of  hell,  arrows  of  death.  The  gradation  intended 
bv  the  psalmist  may,  I  conceive,  be  exhibited  as  follows  : 
In  the  first  place,  he  represents  himself  as  surrounded  by 
the  terrors  of  death.  In  the  second  place,  these  terrors 
are  represented  as  assuming  a  definite  shape  and  personi- 
fication, as  occasioned  by  multitudes  ot  ungodly  men  or 
evil  angels  (Belial]  ready,  like  a  rising  inundation,  to 
overwhelm  him.  In  the  third  place,  the  ungodly  men 
have  actually  succeeded  in  subduing  him,  and  have 
bound  him  fast  in  fetters  as  a  victim  destined  to  the 
grave  ;  and  in  the  la^t  place,  they  have  almost  or  indeed 
wholly  overpowered  him  with  the  weapons  or  arrows  of 


206  XOTES. 

death  (lethal  weapons)  when  he  cries  to  God  for  deliver- 
ance.  For  although  all  these  expressions  have  a  far 
different  meaning,  as  applied  to  spiritual  things,  and  es- 
pecially to  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  which  they  undoubt- 
edly predicted,  their  primary  reference  is  to  the  scenes 
and  circumstances  of  temporal  death  brought  about  by 
the  violence  of  men. 

The  phrase  in  the  fifth  verse  rendered  by  our  transla- 
tors, the  snares  of  death  prevented  me,  is  in  Luther's  ver- 
sion, des  to  des  stricken  iiber  waltigten  mich,  the  arrows 
of  death  overpowered  me.  I  do  not  know  what  meaning 
our  translators  may  have  attached  to  the  word  prevent, 
both  in  this  instance  and  in  a  similar  one,  which  the 
reader  will  find  in  Job  xli.  11.,  but  I  have  no  hesitation 
in  preferring  Luther's  translation. 

The  word  corresponding  to  prevent  in  the  old  Gene- 
van Bible  is,  overtooke. 

B. 

Dense  volumes  of  sulphureous  smoke 
He  breathed  around  him;  fiery  flame 

Out  from  his  mouth  incessant  broke, 
Devouring  wheresoe'er  it  came. 

Luther  translates  the  eighth  verse  (the  ninth,  accord- 
ing to  the  German  mode  of  enumeration)  as  follows  : 
Dampf  ging  auf  von  seiner  nasen  :  und  verzehrend  feuer 
von  seinem  numde,  dass  es  davon  blitzclc.  ?  Dense 
vapour  or  smoke  issued  from  his  nostrils  ;  and  con- 
suming fire  from  his  mouth,  so  that  it  lightened  from  it." 

C. 

The  ocean  then  forsook  its  bed, 

And  all  its  billows  rolled  away  ; 
Then  were  the  earth's  foundations  laid 

All  open  to  the  gaze  of  da?  : 
At  thy  rebuke,  the  floods  fled  fast, 
Lord,  at  thv  nostrils'  fiery*  blast. 


NOTES.  207 

I  apprehend  the  whole  compass  of  poetry,  whether 
sacred  or  profane,  does  not  afford  a  more  magnificent 
idea  than  the  one  embodied  in  this  stanza,  corresponding 
with  the  fifteenth  verse  of  the  psalm  ;  but  it  is  only  in 
such  circumstances,  as  those  in  which  I  write  at  this 
moment,  that  it  can  possibly  be  felt  in  all  its  magnifi- 
cence and  sublimity.  Our  good  ship  has  lately  been 
seven  weeks  in  mrrcly  crossing  the  vast  Pacific  Ocean — 
the  largest  body  of  water  on  the  face  of  the  globe — during 
most  of  which  time  she  was  impelled  by  violent  westerly 
gales,  both  n'ght  and  day.  She  is  now  in  the  middle  of 
the  Southern  Atlantic, — the  second  largest  body  of  water 
on  the  face  of  the  earth — holding  her  rapid  course  to  the 
northward.  But  the  psalmist  tells  us  in  the  passage  in 
question,  that  at  one  blast  from  the  nostrils  of  Jehovah  — 
a  metaphor  borrowed  from  a  horse  or  other  animal  snort- 
ing, i.  e.  suddenly  and  angrily  impelling  a  stream  of  air 
from  his  nostrils — the  whole  waters  of  both  of  these 
mighty  oceans,  and  of  all  the  other  oceans  and  seas  on 
this  globe  of  the  earth,  would  be  swept  completely  away, 
so  that  their  channels  would  be  left  dry,  and  the  deep 
foundations  of  the  earth  discovered. 

D. 

He  gives  me  strength  to  meet  my  foe, 
And  bend  the  stoutest  iron  bow. 

Luther's  version  of  the  latter  clause  of  the  34th  (Ger- 
man 35th  >  verso,  is,  Dnd  lehrct  meinen  arm  einen  ehernen 
bugen  spannen.  "And  instructs  (Scotice  learns  my 
arm  to  bend  an  iron  bow."  That  this  is  the  proper  ver- 
sion of  the  passage,  and  that  our  translators  were  mis- 
taken in  rendering  the  word  in  the  original,  break  in- 
stead of  henrf,  will  appear  evident  to  the  reader  when  he 
reflects,  that  to  break  a  bow  of  iron  could  be  of  no  ser- 
vice, whereas,  strength  to  bend  such  a  bow  must  hive 
been  of  great  service  in  military  operations.     Besides,  to 


208  NOTES. 

break  an  iron  bow  was  never  a  test  of  strength,  but  we 
know,  from  profane  history,  that  to  bend  such  a  bow  was 
the  most  decisive  test  of  muscular  strength  to  which  a 
man  could  be  subjected.  It  is  related  by  Herodotus 
"  that  when  Cambyscs,  king-  of  Persia,  was  about  to 
undertake  an  expedition  against  the  Macrobiun  Ethi- 
opians, the  king  of  the  latter  sent  him,  by  his  own  heralds, 
a  bow  of  formidable  appearance,  telling  him  that  when 
his  subjects  should  be  able  to  bend  that  bow  with  the 
same  ease  with  which  he  could  bend  it  himself,  he  might 
then  with  superior  forces  venture  to  attack  the  Ethio- 
pians." 

The  bow  was  accordingly  handed  successively  to  all 
the  nobles  in  attendance;  but  the  only  one  who  had 
strength  to  bend  it  was  Smerdis,  the  king's  own  brother, 
a  prince  of  great  muscular  strength,  and  greatly  beloved 
by  the  people.  The  success  of  this  unfortunate  prince, 
however,  in  attempting  to  bend  the  Scythian  bow,  cost 
him  his  life;  for  the  tyrant,  jealous  of  his  undeniable 
superiority  and  great  popularity,  had  him  privately  mur- 
dered. 

E. 

Thy  loving-kindness  made  me  great 

Luther  translates  the  latter  clause  of  the  35th  (Ger- 
man 36th)  verse,  which,  in  our  version  is,  "  Thy  gentle- 
ness hath  nip.de  me  great,"  Wenn  du  mich  demuthigest, 
machest  du  mich  gross ;  "  When  thou  humblest  me, 
thou  makest  me  great."  I  have  adhered,  however,  to 
the  English  version. 

Psalm  XIX.— A. 

Like  hero,  gladly  runs  his  race. 

Und  freuet  sich  wie  ein  held,  zu  lanffen  den  weg. 
And  rejoices,  like  a  hero  to  run  the  race," — Lutlicr. 


NOTB8.  200 


B. 


He  rises  in  the  distant  cast, 

And  travels  to  the  distant  west; 

Around  the  heavens  his  chariot's  whirled. 

Sic  genet  auf  an  eincm  ende  des  himmcls  und  Iuuft 
Qm  his  wieder  an  dassclhe  endc.  M  She  (die  soune,  the 
sun  is  (em.  in  German)  rises  at  one  end  of  heaven,  and 
runs  around  again  to  the  same  end." — Luther. 

C. 

Far  sweeter  to  the  taste  they  are 
Than  virgin-honey — sweeter  far. 

Virgin-honey  is  that  which  drops  first  from  the  honey- 
comb, and  is  esteemed  the  best. 

D. 

Counsel  and  warning  too  they  give. 

Auch  wird  dein  knecht  durch  sic  crinnert.  "  Thy 
servant  also  is  admonished  through  them." — Luther. 


O  who  can  tell  how  oft  he  sins  ! 
From  hidden  sins  do  thou  me  cleanse  ! 
From  wilful  sin,  O  Lord,  restrain, 
Nor  let  it  o'er  thy  servant  reign  ! 

Wet  kaun  menken  wie  oft  er  fehlet.  "  Who  can 
mark  how  often  he  transgresses  !" — Luther. 

I  have  also  followed  Luther's  version  in  the  translation 
I  have  given  of  the  word  in  this  verse  rendered  secret  by 
our  translators,  but  which  Luther  translates  verborgene, 
hidden  or  concealed.  I  have  done  so,  because  there  la  an 
evident  antithesis  between  the  two  species  of  sin,  from 


210  NOTES. 

which  the  psalmist,  in  this  passage,  prays  to  be  cleansed 
and  restrained.  The  first  of  these  is  hidden,  not  fecret 
sins,  i.  e.  sins  of  ignorance,  sins  which  escape  the  notice 
of  the  individual  who  commits  them,  because  his  har- 
dened heart  and  his  habit  of  sinning  from  his  youth  up, 
prevent  him  from  taking  note  of  numberless  sins,  for 
which  ho  must  obtain  the  divine  forgiveness,  or  other- 
wise perish  under  the  wrath  of  God.  The  second  spe- 
cies of  sin,  of  which  the  psalmist  speaks  in  this  passage, 
is  wilful  or  presumptuous  sins,  i.  c.  sins  against  light  and 
knowledge  and  partial  conviction.  From  the  former  of 
these  he  prays  to  be  cleansed,  because  they  spring  from 
a  defiled  and  polluted  nature,  which  can  only  be  cleansed 
by  the  spirit  of  God  through  the  washing  of  regenera- 
tion. From  the  latter,  he  prays  to  be  kept  back  or  re- 
strained, because  they  spring  from  a  headstrong'  and 
obstinately  perverse  will.  Now,  I  apprehend,  thai  the 
latter  is  just  the  character  of  what  are  properly  called 
secret  sins,  or  sins  committed  in  secret.  They  are,  in  an 
especial  manner,  sins  against  light  and  knowledge  and 
conviction  :  presumptuous  are  they,  in  the  highest  sense 
of  the  word,  and  they  who  commit  them  arc  self-willed, 
or  commit  them  wilfully,  and  with  a  high  hand,  sin  for 
which  they  can  have  no  cloak  or  excuse.  On  the  other 
hand,  open  sins,  or  sins  committed  in  the  face  of  day, 
have  often  a  much  less  degree  of  wilfulness  or  presump- 
tion in  them  than  one  would  at  first  imagine.  They  are 
often  committed  entirely  in  deference  to  the  practice  and 
opinion  of  a  world  that  lieth  in  wickedness,  when  the 
individual  who  commits  them  would,  if  left  to  the  bias 
of  his  own  judgment  and  convictions,  have  abhorred  to 
do  so  great  a  thing  and  sin  against  God. 

The  distinction  between  secret  and  presumptuous  sin?, 
in  our  English  version,  is  entirely  imaginary,  and  doe« 
not  exist;  and  the  translation  I  have  given  after  Luther's 
version,  is  indispensably  requisite  to  bring  out  the  evident 
meaning  of  the  psalmist.  The  passage  in  question,  how- 
ever, cannot  fail  to  impress  the  rea^-jr  with  a  high  idea 


mm  211 

of  the  remarkable  accuracy  ot  David's  language,  and  of 
the  deep  insight  w  Inch  he  had  obtained  into  the  nature 
of  fallen  man.     See  Numbers  xv.  :2:2 — 31. 

F. 

Yea,  justified,  0  Lord,  by  thee, 
From  all  my  great  iniquity. 

I  conceive  the  phrase  in  this  verse  rendered  the   E 
transgression,  docs  not  allude  to  any  particular  sin,  but 

to  all  the  psalmist's  past  iniquity.  In  short,  the  psalmist 
seems  to  have  had  in  his  eye,  r.s  the  great  object  i  :  a 
sinner's  desire,  the  blessedness  of  him  whose  sin  is 

doned,  whose  transgression  is  covered,  and  to  whom  the 
Lord  imputtth  not  iniquity. 


Yea,  hear  the  language  of  my  heart, 
For  thou  my  strength  and  Saviour  ait. 

The  word  translated  meditation,  in  the  English  version 
of  the  last  verse  of  this  psalm,  is  by  Luther,  whose  trans- 
lation  I  have  followed,  rendered,  gespraeh,  language,  I 
apprehend  the  verse  should  be  translated,  lit  ike  words 
of  ma  ?noulh,  even  the  language  of  my  heart,  Sec,  and 
that  it  implies  a  strong  declaration  of  the  sincerity  of  the 
psalmist. 

Psalm  CXX. 

A. 

It  would  seem  that  Divid  wrote  this  psalm  during  his 
banishment  from  the  court  of  Saul,  and  while  he  lived 
the  life  of  a  fugitive,  either  among  the  wandering  Arabs, 
or  people  like  them  :  and  that  after  his  elevation  to  the 
throne  of  Israel,  and  consequently  after  hi  is  prayer  for 
deliverance  had  been  fully  answered,  he  prefixed  to  it  the 


212  won 

part  which  now  forms  the  first  verse,  and  published  i! 
for  the  benefit  of  all  who  should  experience  similar  af- 
flictions. This  explanation  of  the  apparently  anomalous 
character  of  the  first  verse,  standing  as  it  does  as  a  sort 
of  outline  or  abridgement  of  what  follows,  is  not  only 
accordant  with  probability,  but  accords  exactly  with 
what  the  psalmist  himself  actually  says  in  that  verse. 
M  In  my  distress  I  cried  unto  the  Lord,'''  says  the  psalm- 
ist. And  what  were  the  words  of  thy  prayer  or  cry? 
some  inquirer  seems  to  ask.  M  The  following  psalm," 
the  psalmist  replies.  "  And  what  was  the  result  ?"  the 
inquirer  again  asks.  The  psalmist  again  replies,  "  He 
heard  me."  This  explanation  will  doubtless  apply  in  the 
case  of  other  psalms  of  a  similar  kind,  in  which  a  decla- 
ration resembling  the  one  in  the  first  verse  of  this  psalm 
is  prefixed  to  a  prayer  for  deliverance.  The  prayer  was 
written  in  the  time  of  trouble  and  sorrow,  and  was 
known  only  to  God  who  heard  it,  and  to  a  few,  perhaps, 
of  the  psalmist's  companions  in  affliction.  But  after  the 
wished  for  deliverance  had  been  obtained,  David,  in  the 
gratitude  of  his  heart,  prefixed  the  declaration  of  the  joy- 
ful issue,  and  then  published  the  prayer  among  the 
thousands  of  Israel. 

B. 

And  share  the  wandering  Arab's  tent 
Amid  the  desert  lands. 

Kedar  was  the  ancient  Hebrew  designation  of  Arabia 
and  of  its  inhabitants,  the  Arabs,  who,  it  is  well  known, 
have  ever  dwelt  in  tabernacles  or  tents,  as  the  word  in 
the  original  is  translated,  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  Song 
of  Solomon  and  fifth  verse,  and  ought  to  have  been  trans- 
lated here  ;  for  the  word  tabernacle  conveys  to  an  English 
ear  the  idea  of  a  place  of  worship,  rather  than  that  of  the 
temporary  and  comfortless  residence  of  a  wandering 
tribe,  which  David  certainly  meant  it  to  signify.     Kedar 


not;:-.  219 

was  a  son  of  Ishmael,  the  son  of  Abraham  ;  Mcsf  ch,  I 
apprehend,  was  merely  another,  though  less  frequent, 
designation  of  Arabia,  derived,  doubtless,  from  Meshech, 
the  son  of  Japhetli,  and  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  Arabian 
nation. 

Tsalm  CXXII. 

I  have  followed  the  translation  of  French  and  Skinner 
in  both  versions  of  this  beautiful  psalm. 

Psalm  CXXVJ. 


Bring  back  our  wanderers 
Like  torrents  swift  and  d^cp. 

Judea  and  the  countries  that  lie  to  the  southward  and 
eastward,  are  subject,  like  the  colonies  of  I  he  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  and  New  South  Wales  m  the  same  parallels 
of  latitude,  to  periodical  visitations  of  drought  and  rain. 
During-  the  prevalence  of  drought,  a  number  of  water- 
courses are  left  completely  dry,  and  the  disappointment 
of  a  traveller,  after  riding  a  long  distance  under  a  burn- 
ing sun,  on  finding  the  channel  of  a  torrent,  in  which 
water  has  been  anxiously  looked  for,  completely  dry,  is 
beautifully  depicted  in  the  following  description  of  a  ca- 
ravan of  Eastern  merchants  arriving  at  the  empty  chan- 
nel of  such  a  torrent. 

"  My  brethren  have  dealt  deceitfully  as  a  brook,  and 
&s  the  stream  of  brooks  they  pass  away;  which  are 
blackish  by  reason  of  the  ice,  and  wherein  the  snow  is 
hid  :  what  time  they  wax  warm,  they  vanish  :  when  it 
is  hot,  they  are  consumed  out  of  their  place.  The  paths 
of  their  way  are  turned  aside;  they  go  to  nothing,  and 
perish.  The  troops  of  Tema  looked,  the  companies  of 
Sheba  waited  for  them.  They  were  confounded  because 
they  had  hoped  ;  thov  came  thither,  and  were  ashamed." 
—Jot,  vi.   J.'- 


214  NOTES. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  the  water-courses  are  again 
filled  with  water,  on  the  return  of  rain,  and  spread  fer- 
tility and  beauty  over  the  plains  that  have  long  been 
parched  with  drought,  universal  joy  almost  immediately 
succeeds  to  the  extreme  of  desolation.  Any  person  who 
has  not  witnessed  such  a  transition,  can  with  difficulty 
estimate  the  full  force  of  the  beautiful  metaphor  employed 
by  the  Psalmist  when  he  prays  that  the  Lord  would 
bring  back  the  Jewish  captives,  like  streams  in  the 
south. 

Psalm  CXXV1T. 

A. 

God  gives  his  people  needful  rest. 
He  magnifies  their  store; 
.     Yea,  His  his  blessing  makes  us  rich, 
And  his  appointment  poor. 

Although  the  last  three  lines  of  this  stanza  are  appa- 
rently supplementary,  they  are  necessary,  I  conceive,  to 
bring  out  the  idea  which  is  certainly  implied  in  the  pas- 
sage immediately  preceding. 

Psalm  CXXIX. 

A. 

It  is  questionable  whether  this  psalm  refers,  as  it  is 
generally  supposed  to  do,  to  our  blessed  Saviour  at  all. 
)t  seems  to  me  rather  to  refer  to  the  treatment  which  the 
Jewish  people,  as  a  nation,  have  uniformly  experienced 
in  the  world,  and  to  the  final  confusion  and  defeat  of  all 
their  enemies. 

B. 
The  ploughers  ploughed  upon  my  back. 

It  is  probable  that  a  plougher  was,  among  the  ancient 
Hebrews,  the  usual  though  contemptuous  and  ironical 
designation  of  the  common  scourger,  or  person  employed 


for «  2 1  5 

to  inflict  stripes  upon  those  culprits  who  had  been  sen- 
tenced by  a  court  of  justice  to  that  ignominious  punish- 
ment:  and  when  such  a  designation  obtained  general 
use,  it  was  natural  to  extend  the  metaphor,  as  the  Psalm- 
ist does  in  the  present  instance,  to  the  whole  process  of 
flagellation. 

C, 

Shame  and  confusion  and  defeat 

O'erwhelm  all  Zion's  foes! 
Yea,  they  shall  be  like  blasted  corn 

That  withers  while  it  grows. 

The  houses  of  the  ancient  Jews  were  flat-roofed,  with 
a  low  parapet  wall  around  the  sides  to  prevent  accidents. 
See  Deut.  22:  2.  It  was  accordingly  not  unusual  for  the 
Jewish  householder,  when  his  corn  had  become  damp,  or 
required  exposure  to  the  sun  or  air,  to  spread  it  out  for 
■  short  time  on  the  flat  roof  of  his  house.  In  this  way, 
it  frequently  happened  that  a  few  stray  grains  of  the  corn 
so  exposed  fell  into  the  interstices  of  the  roof  and  germi- 
nated ;  but  from  want  of  earth  and  moisture  the  vegeta- 
tion that  ensued  was  uniformly  blasted  during  the  heat 
of  summer.  It  is  obviously  improper,  therefore,  to  ren- 
der the  word  employed  in  the  original,  as  both  Luther 
and  our  own  translators  have  done,  by  the  word  grass; 
for  the  grass  of  which  the  Psalmist  speaks — using  the 
generic  word  for  the  particular  species  intended — is  a 
species  of  grass  from  which  a  crop  of  grain  might  be 
expected,  and  which  was  usually  reaped  and  bound  into 
sheaves  on  a  harvest- field.  It  is  also  unnecessary,  and 
perhaps  improper,  to  perplex  the  English  reader  with 
such  a  phrase  as  "grass  upon  the  house-tops,"  which  the 
difference  of  our  customs  prevents  him  from  understand- 
ing, and  of  which  the  very  intelligible  phrase,  M  blasted 
corn,"  is  an  exact  equivalent.  I  have  therefore,  in  this 
instance,  endeavoured  to  exhibit  the  meaning,  rather  than 
the  ipsissima  verba,  of  the  psalmist. 


216  ISOTES. 

Having  suggested  the  idea  of  "  blasted  corn,"  such  as 
the  Jews  were  accustomed  to  see  on  their  house-tops,  the 
psalmist — beholding  in  prophetic  vision  the  fate  of  the 
enemies  of  Zion — suddenly  transfers  the  scene,  by  a  very 
natural  principle  of  association,  to  a  whole  field  of  such 
grain,  from  which  the  husbandman  had  been  expecting 
an  abundant  crop,  but  on  which,  in  consequence  of  its 
having  been  blasted  by  some  blighting  wind,  the  joyful 
scene  of  reapers  and  sheaf-binders,  on  whom  the  pious 
and  sympathising  traveller  would  implore  the  divine 
blessing  as  he  passed  along,  should  never  be  exhibited, 

Psalm  CXXXL 
A, 

I  have  not  hesitated  to  adopt  the  German  version  of 
the  second  verse  of  this  psalm,  on  which,  it  appears  to 
me,  its  whole  interpretation  depends,  in  preference  to 
that  of  our  translators.  Luther's  translation  of  this  verse 
is  as  follows :  Wenn  ich  meine  seele  ruch  setzete  und 
stilleta,  so  ward  meine  seele  eutwehnet,  wie  einer  von 
seiner  mutter  eutwehnet  wird.  "If  (or  whenever)  I  did 
not  compose  and  quiet  my  soul,  my  soul  was  weaned,  as 
one  is  weaned  from  or  by  his  mother." 

Now  I  conceive  there  is  internal  evidence,  in  the 
psalm  itself,  sufficient  to  evince  the  propriety  of  this  ver- 
sion. In  the  English  version,  David  is  somewhat  pre- 
posterously made  to  speak  in  high  terms  of  commenda- 
tion of  his  own  humility,  and  to  compare  himself  in  that 
respect  to  a  little  child  ;  whereas,  if  he  had  been  really 
humble,  or  had  possessed  the  modest  simplicity  of  a  little 
child,  he  would  not  have  spoken  of  himself  in  such  terms 
at  all.  Again,  in  the  English  version,  the  word  or  idea 
which  evidently  forms  the  hinge  on  which  the  whole 
psalm  turns,  I  mean  the  word  weaned,  is  entirely  lost 
sight  of,  and  considered  merely  as  synonymous  with  such 
insignificant  words  as  little  or  young;  the  Psalmist  being 
represented  as  merely  saying,  "My  conduct  has  been  like 


NOTES.  217 

that  of  a  little  child."  This,  I  apprehend,  however,  is  tar 
short  of  the  force  of  the  word  in  question,  or  of  the  mean- 
ing of  the  psalmist  in  this  passage.  To  icean  signifies  to 
detach,  by  a  species  of  gentle  violence,  an  infant  or  sucking 
child  from  what  it  loves  above  all  things — the  breast  of 
its  mother.  It  implies,  therefore,  1st,  A  state  of  strong- 
affection  towards  a  particular  object ;  2d,  A  species  of 
violence  exerted  with  a  view  to  withdraw  the  affections 
from  that  object;  and  3d,  A  stale  of  indifference  towards 
that  object  ever  after. 

Let  this  explanation,  then,  be  applied  to  the  illustration 
of  this  short  but  beautiful  psalm,  and  instead  of  a  com- 
monplace and  somewhat  unchristian  declaration,  it 
be  found  to  exhibit  a  series  of  beautiful  and  most  inte- 
resting sentiments,  perfectly  accordant  with  the  perso- 
nal experience,  and  highly  becoming  the  character  of 
every  truly  pious  man.  Agreeably  to  this  explanation, 
David  acknowledges  that  lie  was  naturally  as  much  dis- 
disposed  to  pride  and  its  attendant  evil  feelings,  and  to 
worldly-mindedness  and  its  attendant  sinful  anxieti— 
my  other  man;  but  that  God,  by  a  species  of  salutary 
violence,  either  in  withdrawing  him  from  the  objects  of 
his   natural   affections,   or   1  .  g   them   from   his 

.  had  so  weaned  his  heart  from  the  love  of  them, 
that  he  could  now  behold  them  with  as  much  indifference 
is  a  weaned  child  exhibits  on  beholding  the  breast  of  its 
mother.  In  his  usual  manner,  the  psalmist  states  the 
result  of  the  process  to  which  he  had  been  subjected,  in 
'he  first  verse  of  the  psalm,  and  immediately  thereafter 
describes  the  process  itself  in  the  second,  concluding 
with  a  word  of  encouragement  to  all  who  are  undergo- 
ino-  the  same  privations  or  afflictions  as  he  had  himself 
experienced  at  the  hand  of  God. 

Psalm  CXXXII. 
A. 

Behold,  at  Enhratah  we  heard 
Of  Zion's  holy  ground, 
T 


218  NOTES. 

And  in  the  forest  in  the  field 
The  chosen  spot  we  found. 

Caleb,  or  Chelubai,  the  son  of  Hezron  and  grandson 
of  Pharez,  the  son  of  Judah  and  Tamar,  (See  1  Chron. 
ii.  passim,)  married  Ephrath  or  Ephratab,  whose  third 
son,  Salma,  was  the  founder  of  the  city  of  Bethlehem, 
which  he  seems  to  have  called  Bethlehem  Ephratah,  in 
honour  of  his  mother.  In  1  Chron.  ii.  51,  Salma  is  called 
the  father  of  Bethlehem:  it  should  have  been  {he  founder, 
for  in  that  sense  only  could  a  man  be  called  the  father  of 
a  city,  unless,  which  is  not  at  ail  probable,  it  was  inha- 
bited solely  by  his  posterity.  It  is  possible,  indeed,  and 
perhaps  not  improbable,  that  Bethlehem  received  the  ap- 
pellation of  Ephratah  or  Ephrath,  which  it  bore  as  early 
as  the  days  of  Ruth,  (see  Ruth  iv.  11,  Do  thou  worthily 
in  Ephratah,  and  be  famous  in  Bethlehem,)  from  its  be- 
ing in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Ephrath — so  famous  in 
Jewish  history  as  the  burial-place  of  Rachel — just  as  a 
comparatively  obscure  town  in  Europe,  for  such  Bethle- 
hem must  have  been  for  many  years  after  it  first  became 
the  dwelling-place  of  the  family  and  friends  of  Salma,  is 
sometimes  designated  by  adding  to  its  proper  name  that 
of  some  place  of  greater  antiquity  or  of  greater  notoriety 
in  its  neighbourhood. 

It  was  at  Bethlehem  Ephratah,  therefore,  the  place  of 
his  birth  and  the  head-quarteis  of  his  family,  that  David 
first  heard,  probably  through  some  divine  revelation, 
communicated  either  directly  to  himself,  or  indirectlv 
through  the  prophet  Nathan,  immediately  after  he  had 
sworn  the  oath  recorded  in  the  3d,  4th,  and  oth  verses 
of  the  psalm — it  was  at  Bethlehem  Ephratah  that  David 
first  heard  of  the  neighbouring  hill  of  Zion  being  the 
place  which  the  Lord  had  chosen  to  put  his  name  there. 
The  fields  of  the  wood  must  doubtless  have  been  a  large 
forest  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Bethlehem,  in  which 
David  was  when  the  revelation  was  made  to  him;  for  the 


NOTE.-.  210 

rules  of  Hebrew  poetry  will  not  permit  us  to  refer  that 
appellation  to  Mount  Zion. 

Lo,  we  heard  of  it — at  Ephratah:  we  found  it — in  the 
fields  of  the  wood. 

Salma,  the  son  of  Chelubai,  called  his  new  town  Beth 
lehem,  or  the  city  of  bread,  probably  to  denote  the  fer- 
tility of  the  neighbourhood,  and  doubtless  altogether  un- 
conscious that  it  should  deserve  the  appellation  to  all 
eternity,  from  its  being  destined  to  be  the  place  where 
the  bread  of  life,  which  cometh  down  from  heaven,  was 
first  revealed  in  bodily  appearance  to  the  sons  of  men. 
;iThou  Bethlehem  Ephratah,  though  thou  be  little  among 
the  thousands  of  Judah,  yet  out  of  thee  shall  He  come 
forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be  ruler  in  Israel,  whose  goings 
forth  hare  been  from  of  old,  fiom  cveilasting." — Rfficah 


B. 

For  thine  own  servant  David's  sake, 

O  take  not  thou  away 
The  sceptre  of  thy  chosen  one. 

Even  thine  anointed's  sway. 

Luther's  version,  which  I  have  followed,  is,  Nim  nicht 
weg  das  regiment  deines  gesalbten,  um  deiries  knecht's 
David's  willen.  "  Take  not  away  the  rule  or  govern, 
ment  of  thine  anointed,  for  thy  servant  David's  sake." 

C. 

For  Eve  prepared  a  lamp  to  burn 
For  mine  anointed's  line. 

That  is,  the  lamp  or  glory  of  David's  house  shall  burn 
or  shine  for  ever  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  son. 
of  David. 


220  NOTES. 

Psalm  CXXXIV. 

A. 

The  Jewish  Rabbis  inform  us,  that  this  psalm  was 
sung  every  evening  by  the  priests  and  Levites,  on  sta- 
tioning the  guards  for  the  night,  at  the  gates  of  the 
temple. 

Psalm  CXXXVII. 


A  favoured  one  thy  little  ones, 
Shall  dash  upon  the  flinty  stones. 

I  have  not  ventured  to  translate  the  latter  part  of  this 
psalm  in  this  manner,  merely  because  the  sentiment 
expressed  in  the  prose  version,  "  Happy  shall  he  be 
that  rewardeth  thee  as  thou  hast  served  us.  Happy 
shall  he  be  that  taketh  and  dasheth  thy  little  ones 
against  the  stones,"  appears  harsh  and  vindictive,  but 
because  it  appears  to  me  to  be  a  misrepresentation  of  the 
meaning  of  the  sacred  writer.  That  it  is  so  will  appear, 
I  doubt  not,  to  the  reader  also,  when  he  considers  to 
whom  this  prophecy  (for  such  it  is  most  undoubtedly) 
refers,  and  in  what  language  the  individual  it  designates, 
(for  it  does  undoubtedly  designate  a  particular  individual,) 
is  spoken  of  in  other  prophecies  of  Scripture.  The  indi- 
vidual then  who  is  thus  expressly  designated  by  the 
psalmist  as  the  person  appointed  in  the  providence  of 
God  to  reward  Babylon  as  she  had  served  Jerusalem,  and 
to  dash  her  little  ones  against  the  stones,  was  Cyrus, 
king  of  Persia  :  and  the  language  in  which  that  monarch 
is  spoken  of  in  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  to  which  the 
psalmist  undoubtedly  referred,  in  reference  to  this  very 
designation,  is  as  ibllows :  "  The  burden  of  Babylon 
which  Isaiah,  the  son  of  Amos,  did  see — I  have  com- 
manded  my   sanctified  ones,   I   have   also   called   my 


NOTES.  221 

mighty  ones  for  mine  anger,  even  them  that  rejoice  in 
rny  highness.  The  Lord  of  hosts  muslercth  the  host  of 
the  battle.  They  come  from  a  far  country,  from  the  end 
of  heaven,  even  the  Lord,  and  the  weapons  of  his  indig- 
nation, to  destroy  the  whole  land.  Their  children  also 
shall  he  dashed  to  pieces  before  their  eyes."  Isai.  xiii.  1. 
3,  4,  5,  16.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  to  his  anointed,  to  Cy- 
rus, whose  right  hand  I  have  holden,  to  subdue  nations 
before  him."  Isai.  xlv.  1.  "That  saith  of  Cyrus,  lie  is 
my  shepherd,  and  shall  perform  all  rny  pleasure."  Isai. 
xliv.  28. 

Instead  therefore  of  a  strong,  and  to  us  apparently 
shocking  expression  of  vindictive  feeling,  the  close  of  the 
137th  psalm  is  nothing  more  than  a  prophetical  an- 
nouncement of  the  overthrow  of  the  Babylonish  empire 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Cyrus — an  announcement, 
moreover,  not  only  in  accordance  with  the  general  tenor 
of  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  which  were  doubtless  in  the 
hands  of  the  Jewish  captives  when  that  psalm  was  writ- 
ten, but  actually  embodying  in  it  an  obvious  reference  to 
one  of  these  prophecies.  In  reference  to  his  accomplish- 
ment of  that  work  of  divine  justice  for  which  he  was  thus 
appointed  and  exalted,  and  highly  favoured  of  God  in  all 
temporal  respects,  Cyrus  is  styled  in  the  prophecies  of 
Isaiah,  a  sanctified  one,  one  of  the  Lord's  mighty  ones, 
one  who  rejoices  in  his  highness  ;  nay,  the  anointed  of  the 
Lord,  and  Jehovah's  shepherd,  who  should  perform  all 
his  pleasure.  Now,  it  is  not  at  all  wonderful  that  a  per- 
son who  is  thus  described  in  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah, 
should  be  described  as  a  happy  man  in  a  prophecy  respect- 
ing him  in  the  psalms.  To  suppose,  however,  that  it 
was  the  meaning  of  the  psalmist  that  the  happiness  of 
Cyrus  should  be  derived  from  his  dashing  out  the  brains 
of  the  infants  of  Babylon,  is  neither  necessary  nor  ac- 
cordant with  the  corresponding  prophecy  in  Isaiah;  nay, 
is  grossly  injurious  to  the  psalmist,  and  perfectly  absurd. 
Is  there  not  reason,  however,  to  suppose,  from  the  edict 
of  Cyrus,  in  favour  of  the  Jews,  Ezra  i.  1,  from  the  office 


222  notes. 

held  by  Daniel  at  his  court,  and  from  the  universal 
opinion  of  antiquit)T  respecting  his  extraordinary  wis- 
dom, justice,  benevolence  and  humility,  that  he  was 
blessed  of  God,  or  became  a  happy  man,  in  a  far  higher 
sense  than  as  a  mere  favourite  of  fortune  ?  For  my  own 
part  I  think  it  highly  probable. 

Psalm  CXXXIX. 


My  mind,  that  secret  work  of  thine, 
Proclaims  thy  hidden  power  divine  ; 
That  power  inspired  my  senseless  clay, 
When  in  my  mother's  womb  I  lay. 

Luther's  version  is,  "  Deun  du  hast  meine  nieren  in 
deiner  gewalt ;  du  warest  iiber  kus  in  mutterleibe."  4*  For 
thou  hast  my  reins  in  thy  power  ;  thou  wast  over  me  in 
my  mother's  womb."  My  idea  of  the  passage,  which 
I  have  endeavoured  to  translate  accordingly,  is,  that  the 
psalmist  having  laid  down  his  general  position  that 
"darkness  and  light  were  alike  to  Gcd,"  looked  around 
him  for  a  familiar  illustration  of  the  fact,  and  immedi- 
ately referred  to  that  secret  and  inconceivably  mysteri- 
ous operation  of  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God — the 
union  of  the  rational  and  immortal  soul  with  the  irra- 
tional and  mortal  body  of  man,  which,  the  psalmist  inti- 
mates, takes  place  antecedently  to  his  birth,  in  the  dark 
recesses  of  the  womb. 

If  it  is  asked,  however,  what  ground  is  there  for  this 
interpretation  of  the  passage  ?  I  answer,  all  that  is  re- 
quisite. For  it  is  well  known  to  every  Hebrew  scholar 
that  the  reins  or  kidneys  were  regarded,  in  the  philoso- 
phy of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  as  the  seat  or  emblem  of 
the  intellectual  powers,  just  as  the  liver  was  regarded  as 
the  seat  or  emblem  of  the  affections  of  the  mind.  Thus 
in  Psalm  xvi.  7,  the  meaning  of  the  passage,  "  My  reins 
instructed  me  in  the  night  season,"  is,  M  My  intellectual 


NOTES.  899 

powers  instructed  me."  I  conceive  then,  that  the  psalm- 
ist's meaning  in  the  verse  in  question  may  be  expressed 
in  the  following  words  :  4l  The  power  in  Hebrew,  hand 
of  God  was  exerted,  in  some  hidden  and  mysterious 
manner,  upon  the  mass  of  irrational  matter  in  my  mo- 
ther's womb,  which  was  to  constitute  my  mortal  body, 
and  possessed  or  impregnated  it  with  those  intellectual 
energies,  which  were  to  constitute  my  mind."  The  fol- 
lowing passages  of  Scripture  are,  I  apprehend,  some- 
what parallel — the  one  in  its  signification,  the  other  in 
its  form  of  expression.  M  There  is  a  spirit  in  man  :  and 
the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  giveth  them  under- 
standing."  Job,  xxxii  :  8.  M  The  Spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  wateTs."  Genesis,  i  :  '2. 

a 

Thy  wisdom  drew  the  wondrous  plan, 
And  formed  the  likeness  of  a  man. 

The  phrase  curiously  wrought,  in  the  English  trans- 
lation of  this  verse,  is,  in  Luther's  version,  gebildd,  im- 
aged, moulded,  modelled,  or  fashioned.  The  correspond- 
ing word  in  the  Genevan  Bible  is,  "  fashioned." 


O,  endless  were  the  long  account, 

And  infinite  the  vast  amount! 

For  daily  I  should  still  record 

New  thoughts  of  mercy,  gracious  Lord  ! 

Although  this  verse  is  translated  in  the  old  Genevan 
Bible  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  authorized  version, 
the  following  marginal  note,  which  is  given  in  explana- 
tion of  it,  certainly  proves  the  view  I  have  taken  of  it  : 
44  I  continually  see  new  occasions  to  meditate  in  thv 
wisdom  and  to  praise  thee." 


224  NOTES. 

Psalm  CXLL 
A 

Let  good  men  smite  me,  Lord, 

Whene'er  I  go  astray, 
I  shall  esteem  them  kind  to  me, 

And  for  their  welfare  pray. 

Their  bitterest  reproof 

I'll  joyfully  endure  ; 
Like  balsam  to  a  wounded  head, 

'Twere  only  meant  to  cure. 

The  fifth  and  sixth  verses  of  this  psalm  are  not  with- 
out very  considerable  difficulty.  The  former  is  rendered 
in  our  prose  translation,  to  which  with  the  exception  of 
a  single  clause  I  have  adhered,  in  preference  to  Luther's 
version,  in  the  following  manner :  "  Let  the  righteous 
smite  me  ;  it  shall  be  a  kindness  :  and  let  him  reprove 
me;  it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil,  which  shall  not  break 
my  head  :  for  yet  my  prayer  also  shall  be  in  their  ca- 
lamities." Luther's  version  is,  "  Der  gerechte  schlage 
mich  freundlich,  und  strafTenrich,  das  wird  mir  so  wohl 
thun,  als  ein  balsam  auf  meinem  haupt :  denn  ich  bete 
stets,  dass  sie  mir  nicht  schaden  thun."  "  Let  the  righ- 
teous smite  me  in  a  friendly  way,  and  let  him  rebuke 
me,  it  will  do  me  as  much  good  as  a  balsam  upon  my 
head  :  for  I  pray  continually  that  they  may  not  hurt  me." 

In  the  following  verses  I  apprehend  the  psalmist  de- 
clares that,  so  far  from  revenging  himself  for  the  fancied 
injuries  he  might  have  received  from  good  men,  when 
smiting  or  reproving  him  for  his  profit,  although  the  re- 
proof thus  administered  might  have  been  unmerited  on 
his  part  and  unreasonably  severe,  he  would  even  con- 
tinue to  pray  for  them  in  the  time  of  their  calamities. 
And  when  the  existing  authorities  of  Israel — when  the 
house  and  servants  of  Saul,  his  persecuting  enemy, 
should  be  utterly  overthrown  and  perish,  as  he  foresaw 
they  speedily  would,  on  the  rocky  mountains  of  Gilboa, 


NOTES.  225 

so  far  from  taking  vengeance  on  the  remnant  and  adhe- 
rents of  that  bloody  house,  his  words  to  tl.em  and  to  all 
the  people  would  be  words  of  peace  and  consolation, 
sweet  as  the  morning  dew  and  refreshing  as  the  rain. 
What  words,  for  instance,  could  possibly  be  sweeter,  or 
exhibit  the  character  of  the  psalmist,  in  connection  with 
this  resolution,  in  a  more  affecting  and  interesting  light, 
than  those  of  the  lamentation  wherewith  David  lamented, 
in  all  the  bitterness  of  unfeigned  sorrow,  over  Saul  and 
Jonathan  his  son  ?  2  Sam.  i  :  19-27. 

Psalm  CXLII. 


For  when  my  soul's  o'erwhelmed  with  grief, 

And  men  beset  my  way 
With  hidden  snares,  thou  cornforte.t 

And  mak'st  my  darkness  day. 

Luther's  translation  of  this  verse,  which  I  have  fol- 
lowed, is,  Wenn  mein  geist  in  augsten  ist,  so  nimst  du 
dich  meiner  du ;  sie  lefen  mir  stricke  auf  dem  wege,  da 
ich  auf  gehe.  "  When  ray  spirit  is  in  anguish  or  per- 
plexity, thou  treatest  me  kindly  ;  they  lay  snares  for  me 
in  the  way  that  I  go." 

Psalm  CXLV. 

A. 

I  have  in  great  measure  retained  the  authorized  long 
metre  version  of  this  splendid  psalm  ;  modernizing  it, 
however,  and  making  such  other  emendations  as  appeared 
necessary. 

Psalm  CXLVI. 

A. 

The  word  Hallelujah,  "  Praise  ye  the  Lord,"  with 
which  this  and  the  last  three  psalms  begin,  in  the  Eng- 


226  NOTES, 

lish  version,  is  rather  the  general  title  of  these  psalms 
than  part  of  the   psalms  themselves.     It  is  so  regarded . 
by  Luther  and  the  authors  of  the  old  Genevan  version. 

B. 

Trust  not  in  kings  ;  for  they  are  men  ; 

They  cannot  help  nor  save  ; 
Ere  long  they  die,  and  their  designs 

Are  buried  in  the  grave. 

Verlasset  such  nicht  auf  fursten  :  sle  sind  ruenscher 
die  kounen  ja  nicht  helpen.  Deun  des  meuscheu  geist 
muss  davon,  und  er  muss  vvieder  zur  erden  vverden  ; 
alsdum  sind  verloren  alle  seine  auschlage.  "  Trust  not  in 
princes  {  they  are  men,  who  cannot  help.  For  the  spirit 
of  man  must  go  from  him,  and  he  must  be  (turned)  to 
the  earth  again  ;  then  all  his  designs  are  lost.""  Luther. 

Psalm  CXLVIII. 

A. 

I  have  in  great  measure  retained  the  second  version  of 
this  beautiful  psalm,  modernizing  it,  however,  where  it 
seemed  necessary,  especially  in  the  second  stanza. 

Psalm  CXLIX, 


Let  them  sing  when  they  march  in  procession  along, 
While  the  harp  and  the  timbrel  accord  with  their  song. 

Second  Version. 

In  grave  procession  let  them  march, 
And  praise  him  in  the  song. 

It  was  customary  on  certain  occasions,  and  especially 
on  all  the  three  great  festivals  of  the  ancient  Jewish 
church,  for  a  number  of  priests  and  Levites  to  march  in 


NOTE*.  2L'7 

solemn  procession  from  someplace  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  in  some  instances,  as  in  the  case  of  the  feast  of  ta- 
bernacles, from  without  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  towards 
the  temple  on  Mount  Zion,  singing,  or  rather  chanting, 
as  they  marched,  psalms  or  hymns  to  the  praise  of  Je- 
hovah. And  there  are  several  of  the  psalms  that  bear 
upon  the  face  of  them  the  evidence  of  having  been  ex- 
pressly composed  for  such  processions.  Thus,  in  the 
132d  psalm,  which  must  have  been  composed  by  Solo- 
mon for  the  services  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  it  is 
evident,  that  the  first  six  verses,  at  least,  were  intended 
to  be  sung  or  chanted  icithout  the  temple;  otherwise 
with  what  propriety  could  it  have  been  added  in  the 
seventh  verse,  M  We  will  go  into  his  tabernacles;  we 
will  worship  at  his  footstool."  Jn  like  manner  the  122d 
psalm  must  evidently  have  been  composed  for  a  some- 
what similar  procession;  otherwise,  with  what  propriety 
could  the  words,  "  Our  feet  shall  stand  within  thy  gates, 
O  Jerusalem,  &c,"  have  been  sung  or  chanted  by  per- 
sons who  were  already  within  the  city?  The  beauty  of 
the  84th  psalm  also,  which  is  entitled,  A  psahn  for  the 
sons  of  Korah,  is  materially  heightened  when  we  con- 
ceive it  to  have  been  composed,  as  the  title  seems  to  inti- 
mate, for  a  procession  of  the  kind  I  have  mentioned,  and 
to  have  been  sung  or  chanted  by  those  Levites,  who 
were,  in  all  likelihood,  the  foremost  in  the  procession, 
as  soon  as  they  came  in  sight  of  the  temple.  See  also 
Psalm  lxxxvii. 

In  the  processions  to  which  I  have  just  alluded,  the 
company  of  priests  and  Levites  moved,  in  a  sort  of  mea- 
sured step,  to  the  sound  of  instrumental  music;  their 
motion  being  either  slow  and  solemn,  or  lively  and  rapid, 
according  as  the  psalm  or  hymn  they  were  singing  at 
the  time — and  to  which  the  music  was  always  skilfully 
accommodated  beforehand,  by  the  ablest  practitioner  of 
the  art,  or  as  he  is  styled  in  Scripture,  the  chief  musician, 
of  the  day — was  of  a  plaintive  or  cheerful  cast.  Now,  I 
feel  confident,  that  the  word  which  in  our  English  ver- 


228  NOTES. 

sion  is  most  erroneously  translated  dance,  both  in  this 
and  the  following  psalm,  signifies  nothing  more  than  the 
measured  step,  the  march,  or  regulated  movement  of  a 
religious  procession  of  this  kind.  No  two  things,  how- 
ever, can  be  more  different  from  each  other,  than  such  a 
procession,  and  what  we  call  dancing.  No  two  employ, 
ments  can  possibly  be  more  remote  from  each  other, 
than  those  in  which  the  actors  in  these  cases  are  respec- 
tively engaged. 

But  this  conjecture  amounts  to  something  like  abso- 
lute certainty,  when  we  reflect  on  the  manner  in  which 
the  corresponding  Greek  word  choreuein,  to  dance,  has 
come  to  acquire  its  usual  signification.  "  The  elegant 
mythology  of  the  Greeks,"  as  it  is  styled  by  the  historian 
Gibbon,  was  avowedly  borrowed  in  great  measure  from 
the  oriental  nations;  but  it  is  singular  enough  that  the 
most  elegant  and  the  most  interesting,  as  it  is  uniformly 
acknowledged  to  be,  of  the  religious  observances  of  that 
highly  cultivated  people,  should  be  plainly  traceable  to 
the  ritual  of  the  despised  Hebrews :  I  allude  to  the  insti- 
tution of  the  Greek  chorus — that  singularly  interesting 
and  beautiful  appendage  of  the  ancient  tragic  drama — 
which  I  apprehend  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  was 
originally  nothing  more  than  a  transcript  or  imitation  of 
the  religious  processions  of  the  Jewish  priests  and  Le- 
vites.  For  the  Greek  chorus — the  religious  origin,  cha- 
racter and  bearing  of  which  are  universally  acknow- 
ledged, although  it  came  in  process  of  time  to  be  a  mere 
appendage  to  a  theatrical  performance — was  originally  a 
hymn  in  honour  of  the  gods,  (or  rather  of  the  true  God, 
whom  Grecian  refinement  subsequently  concealed  from 
the  view  of  his  worshippers,)  which,  like  the  psalms  of 
the  Hebrews,  was  sung  or  rather  chanted  at  stated  times 
by  a  company  of  persons  attached  to  the  temple  of  the 
divinity  to  whose  praise  the  hymn  was  sung.  And  it  is 
a  singular  fact  that  the  most  ancient  composition  extant, 
excepting  the  holy  Scriptures,  is  just  such  a  choral 
hymn  as  I  have  mentioned.    I  mean  the  orphic  hymn; 


NOTES.  229 

the  author  of  which  is  unknown,  but  the  purer  theology 
of  which  evidently  refers  it  to  a  much  higher  antiquity, 
and  a  much  purer  source,  than  the  elegant  mythology  of 
the  Greeks. 

Like  the  Jewish  processions  of  priests  and  Levitcs  al- 
ready described,  the  choral  company,  among  the  ancient 
Greeks,  consisted  originally  of  a  certain  number  of  reli- 
gious persons— either  aged  men  or  young  maidens — un- 
der the  direction  of  a  choregos  or  leader  of  the  chorus, 
or  as  he  would  be  styled,  in  the  language  of  Scripture, 
the  Chief  Musician.  And  it  strikes  me  very  forcibly, 
that  as  the  sons  of  Korah  (see  titles  of  psalms  64,  85,  87, 
88,)  were  especially  employed  as  the  singers  in  these 
procession?,  the  Greek  word  choros,  which  signifies  the 
choral  company,  and  is  a  primitive  word  in  the  Greek 
language,  was  originally  derived  from  the  Hebrew  Beni 
Korah,  (the  sons  of  Korah,)  the  phrase  denoting  the  cho- 
risters of  the  Hebrews:  for  the  circumstance  of  that 
word  being  a  proper  name  would  never  suggest  itself  to 
a  foreigner,  who  would  rather  look  to  the  employment 
than  concern  himself  about  the  pedigree  of  those  who 
bore  it. 

Like  the  Jewish  processions  also,  the  choral  perform- 
ances of  the  Greeks  were  celebrated  only  on  the  great 
festivals  of  the  nation,  when  the  whole  body  of  the  Greek 
people  were  assembled  for  the  celebration  of  their  peri- 
odical games  in  honour  of  the  gods.  On  these  occasions 
the  choral  company  appeared  on  a  sort  of  stage  erected 
for  the  purpose,  and  chanted  hymns,  under  the  direction 
of  their  choregos,  or  chief  musician,  in  a  kind  of  alternate 
recitative  style,  while  they  marched  (echoreuon)  in  a 
sort  of  measured  step  to  the  sound  of  instrumental  mu- 
sic. Now  the  Greek  word  choreuein,  which,  like  the 
Hebrew  word  translated  dance  in  the  last  two  psalms, 
originally  signified  choros  dvco,  to  act  the  part  of  a  cho- 
regos or  chief  musician,  i.  %.  to  march  in  a  lofty  measured 
step,  chanting  hymns  to  the  sound  of  instrumental  mu- 
sic, like  the  sons  of  Korah  in  the  Jewish  processions, 


230  NOTES. 

came  in  process  of  time  to  be  exactly  synonymous  with 
the  English  word  to  dance,  in  which  signification  it  is 
so  frequently  used  by  the  poet  Anacreon. 

We  may  form  some  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  religious 
processions  of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  from  the  psalms  or 
hymns  which  appear  to  have  been  usually  sung  on  such 
occasions.  These  were  chiefly  the  psalms  entitled,  Songs 
of  Degrees,  i.  e.  steps,  marches,  processions,  or  as  Luther 
translates  the  Hebrew  original,  "  Songs  in  the  higher  cho- 
rus" Some  of  these,  as  their  very  subjects  intimate, 
were  chanted  by  the  company  of  priests  and  Levites,  in 
inarching  towards  Mount  Zion  on  one  or  other  of  the 
three  great  festivals.  Others,  as  the  13-ith,  and  perhaps 
also  the  121st  and  133d,  were  in  like  manner  chanted  by 
those  priests  or  Levites,  whose  turn  it  was  to  mount 
guard  at  the  gates  of  the  temple  in  the  evening,  when 
the  former  or  day  guard  were  relieved  :  while  the  127th 
psalm,  which  is  entitled  a  Song  of  Degrees  for  Solomon, 
and  the  132d  as  I  have  already  shown,  were,  in  all  like- 
lihood, composed  for  the  express  purpose  of  being  chanted 
in  a  procession  of  priests  and  Levites  at  the  dedication 
of  the  temple. 

If  the  case  of  David,  who  danced  before  the  ark  of  the 
Lord,  should  be  referred  to  as  incapable  of  explanation  on 
the  principle  I  have  suggested,  I  would  observe,  that  on 
that  occasion  David,  instead  of  marching  as  a  monarch 
at  the  head  of  his  chief  officers,  clothed  in  the  splendid 
apparel  of  royalty,  and  demeaning  himself  with  the  lofty 
bearing  of  a  king,  laid  aside  that  apparel,  and  assuming 
the  white  linen  vestment  of  the  ordinary  priests,  probably 
acted  for  the  time  as  the  choregos,  the  chief  musician,  or 
leader  of  the  procession,  marching  to  the  sound  of  instru- 
ments of  music  in  the  measured  step  of  the  choristers, 
and  chanting  the  praises  of  Jehovah.  For  it  is  especially 
to  be  observed,  that  it  was  not  his  dancing,  or  rather 
marching — which  Michal  probably  regarded  as  a  highly 
religious  observance  on  such  occasions — but  his  uncover- 
ing himself,  or  laying  aside  his  royalty,  and  demeaning 


P8ALMS.  231 

himself  to  the  level  of  an  ordinary  priest,  that  appeared 
so  peculiarly  offensive  to  the  high-born  daughter  of  Saul. 
"  How  glorious  was  the  king  of  Israel  to-day,  who  un- 
covered himself  to-day,  in  the  eyes  of  the  hand-maidens 
of  his  servants,  as  one  of  the  vain  fellows  shamelessly 
uncovered]  himself!" 

There  is  an  interesting  relic  of  the  olden  time  in  some 
parishes  on  the  confines  of  Galloway,  in  the  southwest  of 
Scotland,  which  may  perhaps  afford  an  indistinct  idea  ot 
the  solemn  processions,  if  not  of  the  sacred  choral  dance 
of  the  Hebrews.  In  consequence  of  a  very  excusable 
prejudice,  originating  in  the  times  of  the  covenanters, 
and  extensively  prevalent  among  the  people,  in  favour  of 
the  dispensation  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper 
in  the  open  air,  it  is  usual,  in  the  parishes  in  question. 
for  the  ministers  and  elders  who  officiate  on  such  occa- 
sions, to  walk  slowly  from  Che  church,  immediately  after 
the  preliminary  services  have  been  performed,  and  at  the 
head  of  the  whole  body  oi'  intending  communicants,  to 
some  field  in  the  neighbourhood,  where  the  sacrament  is 
dispensed,  as  it  used  to  be  from  necessity,  in  the  troublous 
times  of  our  forefathers,  in  the  open  air.  And  in  walk- 
ing in  solemn  procession  towards  the  place  appointed  for 
the  celebration  of  the  ordinance,  some  appropriate  psalm, 
such  as  the  15th,  24th,  or  118th,  &c,  is  sung  by  both 
ministers  and  people.  In  the  Hebrew  processions  the 
mode  of  chanting  was  doubtless  very  different  from  the 
Scottish  psalmody;  the  step  was  doubtless  more  varied, 
and  the  accompaniment  of  instrumental  music  was  very 
much  at  variance  with  our  own  customs.  Still,  however, 
I  can  easily  conceive,  that  the  devotional  feelings  of  the 
persons  engaged  in  the  one  instance  may  have  been  just 
as  strong  as  those  of  the  persons  engaged  in  the  other; 
and  that  the  whole  procedure  and  deportment  of  both 
were  entirely  different  from  that  noisy  mirth  and  revelry 
of  fools  which  are  nee.  iciated,  in  the  mind  of 

a  European  or  American,  with  the  idea  of  dancing. 


